The Weasley Kids
by Bort
Summary: The third in a series, including "The Last Two Years" and "Hogwarts Reunion." Continues the tale of Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny, as well as their children!
1. Anniversary

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Authors Note: This is the third installment of my trilogy (beginning with "The Last Two Years" and continuing with "Hogwarts Reunion"). This installment is different because each chapter is meant to be treated as a separate short story, little vignettes into the life of the Weasleys and the Potters. Some chapters will be done in flashback (though not nearly as many as in "Hogwarts Reunion"). I must also tell you that this story doesn't really have a "beginning" or an "end." It will just be short stories about the family as I come up with them. I will keep them as chronological as possible. At the moment I have a basic plan for chapters, but of course they could change as the story grows, and new ideas could sprout as I write! Of course, remember that this story, like the others, will be heavily about Ron and Hermione's family, as the entire trilogy is basically based on their relationship (though there will be lots of Harry and Ginny as well!).  
  
Chapter One: Anniversary  
  
Twenty-nine year old Ronald Weasley rolled over in bed, and felt his arm come into contact with... nothing. He opened his eyes slowly and saw that it was still quite dark outside. A quick glance at the clock told him it was nearly four o'clock in the morning. He had a moment's confusion as to where his wife, Hermione, could be, but when he heard her softly talking, he knew.  
  
"There now," he heard her say. "You're all fed and changed. Now all you need to do is fall back to sleep." Ron heard the creak of the rocking chair in the next room, and heard Hermione speak again. "There now, that's my boy," she said. He waited until he heard her come back into the room. He felt her weight on the bed and watched as she slid back down under the covers, and then he slid his arm around her.  
  
"Did I wake you?" she asked softly.  
  
"Nope," said Ron as he breathed in the scent of her hair. "Did he fall asleep so quickly?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "Just like his daddy," she said. "He eats like he'll never have another meal, and then falls into a deep sleep." Ron smiled and Hermione yawned. Ron felt his own eyes droop again, and he continued to breathe her in as he feel back to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
All too soon, Ron was awake again. This time, Hermione was still sleeping peacefully next to him, but Ron's guess was that she wouldn't be for long. From downstairs, he could hear a lot of sounds, which he guessed were happening in the kitchen. He cringed when he heard the cupboard of pots come crashing down. Hermione stirred and sat bolt upright in bed.  
  
"What was that?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," said Ron. "It seems that Emma is attempting to make breakfast again." When Hermione groaned, Ron said, "I'll check it out."  
  
Ron kissed Hermione's cheek and got out of bed, pulling on a robe before leaving the bedroom. He hummed to himself as he walked down the stairs, not as concerned as Hermione would be at what he would find in the kitchen. When it came to the disastrous messes the kids could make, Ron was definitely the calmer of the pair, as he had grown up with five brothers and one sister, none of whom being what you could call "neat freaks."  
  
Therefore Ron wasn't too shocked when he walked into the kitchen and found five-year-old Emma sitting amidst various pots and pans with a carton of eggs in her hands. She looked up at him when she heard him walk in and smiled at her father. "Hi daddy," she said sweetly.  
  
"All I have to say is, you're lucky I'm the one who came downstairs." Ron's words made Emma giggle. "You know what your mum would say if she saw this mess."  
  
"Emma Rose Weasley, what have you done?" Emma said, in her best Hermione impression. "You better help me clean this up." In spite of himself, Ron had to laugh, though he knew that if Hermione heard him he would be in big trouble. Emma laughed with him.  
  
"You know, you sound so much like your mum it's scary sometimes," Ron said, and then he turned to the mess. "But you know, we DO have to clean all this up. I don't want to make your mum feel bad today. It's a special day, you know."  
  
Emma was intrigued. "Why?" she asked.  
  
"Because, ten years ago, on this very day, your mum and I got married," Ron explained.  
  
"Really?" Emma asked, and Ron nodded. "How come it's so special though?"  
  
"Because when people get married, they love each other very much, and every time they have an anniversary they want to celebrate," Ron said.  
  
"And you love mummy, right?" Emma asked him.  
  
"Very much," Ron said, and then he had an idea. "I'll tell you what. Why don't we make breakfast together? Then we can bring it up to mum in bed."  
  
Emma's eyes sparkled. "Yeah!" she said, and she stood and handed her father the eggs.  
  
* * *  
  
Though she tried, Hermione was having trouble getting back to sleep. She could still hear noises coming from the kitchen, but as there was no longer any loud banging, she assumed Ron had the situation under control and she allowed herself to relax. It was very rare that she had these quiet moments to herself, when she could do what she loved most - read. She reached over the side of the bed and pulled out the latest book she was reading. Pulling it to her lap, she opened it and began to read, listening to the sounds of her family stirring in the house.  
  
She was so engrossed in her book that she didn't notice the bedroom door creak open more than it already was. She didn't notice the three people who made their way into the room until she smelled the food. Bacon, eggs and toast, the only thing Ron knew how to make without her help. She looked up from her book and smiled when she saw Ron placing a tray at the end of the table.  
  
"What's this?" she asked.  
  
"Daddy and I made you a special breakfast," Emma announced.  
  
"In honor of the occasion," said Ron. He handed her one of the flowers he had placed on the tray. "Happy Anniversary."  
  
Hermione took the flower and smelled it before smiling at her husband, saying, "Happy Anniversary."  
  
Their eyes locked and stayed that way, until Emma decided to break the silence in the room, "Are we gonna eat?!" she asked. Ron and Hermione laughed, and they settled onto the bed.  
  
"Is Olivia awake yet?" Hermione asked as she grabbed a piece of toast. "You don't want her to miss her favorite breakfast." Before Hermione could say more, Ron was up and out of the room, returning a few moments later with nearly two-year-old Olivia.  
  
"What about Jack?" Emma asked.  
  
"Well, we'll let him sleep in a bit," said Hermione. "He was up pretty late last night."  
  
"Again?" Emma asked. She had become an expert on baby's sleeping patterns when her brother was born just three months earlier, and she was often a sympathetic ear for Hermione the morning after a sleep deprived night.  
  
"It wasn't too bad this time, love," Hermione assured her. "But it wouldn't hurt to let your brother sleep longer." Emma nodded in agreement.  
  
Ron moved Olivia, who was attempting to stand so she could engage in one of her favorite pastimes - jumping on the bed.  
  
"Jump?" she asked.  
  
"You can't do that now, love," he said to her when she was placed in his lap. "You're going to spill the food." He handed her a piece of toast, and she happily took it.  
  
"Emma, you want to spend the night with nana and popop?" Hermione asked, referring to her own parents. They had happily agreed to take all three children for the evening so Ron and Hermione could have a proper anniversary celebration.  
  
"Okay," Emma said. "Will they give me balloons again?" As Hermione's parents were dentists, they had a larger than average supply of balloons, which they usually gave to their well-behaved patients.  
  
"I'm sure they will," said Ron.  
  
"But I don't think you'll be going to the dentist's office this time," Hermione explained. Emma nodded.  
  
"I hear Jack," she said. Ron and Hermione listened, and although the baby wasn't crying, it was clear that he was awake because of the gurgling sounds he was making.  
  
"I'll get him," said Ron, offering his services once again that morning, and he headed out of the room, and into Jack's room. He looked down into the crib and smiled. The baby, with strands of Weasley red hair starting to grow in, smiled back at him.  
  
"You ready to get up?" Ron asked him, and he lifted his son out of the crib. "You want to join your mum and your sisters, or do we need to spend some time together, man to man?"  
  
The baby smiled again, causing Ron to smile back at him. "You're right," he said. "I can't stay away from your mum for this long either." He walked from the baby's room, back into the bedroom, where Hermione was now reading to Emma and Olivia. Olivia seemed to be only half listening. In her hands she was holding the smaller, toy version of a quaffle that Ron had bought her. Emma, however, had clearly memorized the book her mother was reading her, as she was mouthing the words along with her, and studying the page intently.  
  
Olivia looked up when Ron sat down on the bed. "Daddy!" she exclaimed, and she held the Quidditch ball up to show him, proud of herself. "Waffle!"  
  
"Don't throw it!" Ron warned, and he gestured at the baby. Olivia looked and nodded, knowingly. Ron laughed, as the look she gave him was definitely one that he had received many times - from Hermione. "I have a question," he said to his wife, and she looked up from the book. "How it is possible that our two children can be so much like me, and so much like you at the same time?"  
  
"Genes," Hermione said simply.  
  
"I don't think it has anything to do with pants, Hermione," said Ron.  
  
Hermione smiled. "No. Genes with a g. They're what people inherit from their ancestors. However, we also influence them plenty." Ron nodded, satisfied with her answer, and he looked down at Jack.  
  
"What about you?" he asked. "Who are you going to be like?" The baby reached his hand up towards his father's face, and Ron took that to be his answer. "Aha! It seems Jack knows whose influence is best." He smiled at Hermione, and looked back down at the baby. "Though is wouldn't kill you to be smart like your mum over there."  
  
"No it wouldn't," said Hermione. At the sound of his mother's voice, the baby started to cry. Hermione reached for him. "He must be hungry."  
  
"All right girls!" said Ron. "How about we get dressed, and let your mum take care of Jack here?"  
  
"Can I pick what I'm going to wear?" Emma asked. Though Hermione's eyes pleaded with Ron to tell the child no, Ron's resounding "Of course!" had Emma sailing off of the bed, down the hallway and into her bedroom in three seconds flat.  
  
"What about you?" Ron asked Olivia, and he picked her up, Quaffle and all. "You know, I was a Keeper once," he said as they walked out of the room. "Never let the quaffle in." Hermione sighed happily as she listened to her family getting ready to start their day. It was certainly another typical day in the Weasley house.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione was in the kitchen preparing some lunch for the girls when she heard familiar voices in the living room. Putting her task aside, she headed into the next room where she saw Ron kneeling in front of the fireplace, talking to Harry Potter's head. "Hello Hermione!" the head called out when Hermione entered the room.  
  
"Hi Harry!" said Hermione brightly.  
  
"Just wanted to pop in and say happy anniversary," Harry explained. "Though Ron has me distracted, talking about Quidditch."  
  
Hermione smiled, and knelt down next to Ron. "Well, I hear Gryffindor is still doing Hogwarts proud," she said.  
  
"That they are," said Harry. "Won the cup again, though I have to remain impartial, being referee and all." Harry was referring to the job he had had for about a year, as a teacher and Quidditch coach at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "Anyway, what are your plans for tonight?"  
  
"Kids are staying with Hermione's parents," Ron said. "And we're going out."  
  
"He won't tell me where," Hermione said.  
  
"Well, wherever it is, I'm sure you'll have a nice time," said Harry. His head disappeared from the fire for a moment, and they heard him say, "Just a minute, Lil," to his two year old daughter. His head reappeared. "Here's Ginny. Lily's begging me to play with her."  
  
"Go on," said Hermione, and Harry's head disappeared and was soon replaced by his wife, Ginny.  
  
"Hi," she said, smiling at them.  
  
"Hi," Ron sand Hermione said back to her.  
  
"Ron, you better not screw tonight up," Ginny said sternly to her brother.  
  
"I won't!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"Do you know about tonight?" Hermione asked, intrigued.  
  
"Of course," said Ginny. "Where do you think my brother gets all his good ideas?"  
  
"I did not get the idea from you!" Ron exclaimed. "I thought of it myself."  
  
Ginny laughed. "Okay, he really did think of it himself this time."  
  
"Thank you," said Ron.  
  
Hermione smiled at them. "Honestly, the way you annoy each other, you'd think you two were still ten years old living at home with your parents."  
  
"Well, he is still my brother," said Ginny. "Despite the fact he's celebrating his ten year wedding anniversary today. Congrats."  
  
"Thanks," Hermione said.  
  
"Mommy, I'm hungry!" came Emma's voice from the kitchen.  
  
"I have to go, before she makes a disaster area of the kitchen," Hermione said, and after a quick goodbye to Ginny she headed back into the kitchen.  
  
"I won't keep you," Ginny now said to her brother. "Have fun tonight."  
  
"I will," said Ron. "Talk to you soon." Ginny repeated his words and then her head disappeared as well, and Ron stood to help Hermione out in the kitchen.  
  
* * *  
  
The family arrived at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Granger a few minutes earlier than they were expected. Experience told Ron and Hermione that they wouldn't get out the door on time, and so they gave themselves a few extra minutes, also taking into account the fact that they hadn't seen Hermione's parents in quite a while.  
  
Mrs. Granger opened the door, and immediately hugged Hermione when she saw her. "Oh, Hermione, it's so good to see you!" she exclaimed. "I've missed you." When she let her go, she turned to Ron. "Let me see that baby!"  
  
Ron obliged, and handed Jack over to his grandmother. Once his arms were free, Mrs. Granger leaned over and kissed her son-in-law on the cheek. "How are you, Ron?" she asked.  
  
"Great," said Ron.  
  
"Well, let's not stand here in the doorway. Come in, come in. Let me see how big these girls are!" Mrs. Granger stepped aside to let the family into the foyer, and then surveyed Emma and Olivia. "Hi girls," she said.  
  
"Hi nana!" Emma said excitedly. She hugged her grandmother's legs, and Mrs. Granger did her best to hug her back with the baby in her arms. She kissed Olivia on the cheek, as they were more eye to eye with Olivia being in Hermione's arms.  
  
"Do I hear the kids?" came the voice of Mr. Granger. They soon heard his footsteps coming down the stairs.  
  
"Popop!" Emma exclaimed again, and she repeated her again with her grandfather. He, however, having no baby to hold him back, hoisted the little girl in the air.  
  
"Oh, dad, do be careful," said Hermione. "You don't want to hurt your back."  
  
"Hermione, my girl, my back's just fine," he said to her with a smile, and then he kissed her forehead. "Good to see you."  
  
The group moved into the Granger's living room, where Hermione and Ron got to work setting up all the things the kids would need for an evening away from their parents. "Jack eats every three hours. There are plenty of bottles here," Hermione was saying to her mother as she placed toys in a playpen. "He likes people to talk to him when he falls asleep."  
  
"Honey, I took care of YOU, didn't I?" Mrs. Granger asked.  
  
"Yeah, but you never had to put me to bed with a five year old and a two year old running around as well," Hermione said.  
  
"We'll manage," said her mother. "I don't want you to worry. I want you go out and have a wonderful time."  
  
Hermione relaxed a little. She and Ron finished getting the children's things set up, and then they prepared to leave. "Bye love," Hermione said. "Bye girls!" she called to Emma and Olivia, who were too busy in the next room, looking at their grandfather's collection of ships in bottles to come out and give their parents a proper goodbye.  
  
Ron repeated the same process as Hermione, and then he took her arm, and they headed out of the house, Mrs. Granger waving from the porch. "Okay Ron," said Hermione. "Now that we're alone, where are we going?"  
  
"You'll see," Ron said, and he took her hand. "But we need to apparate there, and we can't very well do that in the middle of a muggle street." They walked until they were able to find a place to shield themselves from private muggle eyes.  
  
"Ron?" Hermione asked. "I can't apparate if you don't tell me where we're going."  
  
"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," was all Ron said before he disappeared with a pop.  
  
Hermione looked confused as to why her husband would take her to his brothers' joke shop on their anniversary, but she apparated just the same and soon found herself standing outside of the store. "Why here?" she asked, as the shop was dark; closed for the day. Ron was opening the door.  
  
"Come on in," Ron said, and he opened the door and gestured for her to step inside. Hermione walked in, expecting to see something grand, but instead was greeted with the same things she usually saw whenever she was in the store: shelf upon shelf of various jokes. Ron smiled at her disappointed reaction. "I knew you might feel this way," he said.  
  
"Ron, it's just that, I don't understand why we're here," said Hermione.  
  
"Come over here," he said, and he pulled her hand to guide her over to the counter. Sitting there was one of Fred and George's specialties: a Temporary Swamp Kit. "Ready?" Ron asked, and he made sure the hand that was holding hers was on the box. After a few moments, Hermione felt herself being tugged to a new location, and knew that she and Ron had touched a portkey.  
  
When they landed on the ground, she looked around, recognizing her surroundings. "Why are we here?"  
  
Ron smiled and kissed her. "Love, you need to trust me more often," he said.  
  
"I do trust you!" Hermione protested. "I just don't understand why we're here!" She looked around at her own living room.  
  
"Time will tell," said Ron mischievously, and he laced a blindfold around her eyes, and started to lead her into the dining room.  
  
"Ron, this is our own house, I think I can find my way around," she said. "Even blindfolded."  
  
"Shh!" Ron exclaimed. "Don't ruin the moment!" Hermione laughed and let herself fall under Ron's lead. "Just a few more moments," he said to her, and suddenly he pulled off the blindfold.  
  
It took Hermione's eyes a few moments to adjust in the dim light. She smiled when she looked around the room, lit only by candles. She guessed there had to be at least 100 of them on the table, on the mantle, and around the windows. The table was set for two. "This reminds me of-" Hermione said.  
  
"Our very first anniversary as a married couple," Ron finished. "Only this time, the dinner came from me."  
  
"Ron," said Hermione. "It's beautiful."  
  
"I figured we could go someplace spectacular," said Ron. "but with three children, I thought maybe you'd appreciate a quiet evening in your own home even more. I know I do."  
  
Hermione smiled. "It's perfect."  
  
"Dinner?" Ron asked, and he pulled out a chair for her, and allowed her to sit before taking his own seat next to her. He waved his wand at the tray in front of him and their dinner appeared.  
  
As neither of them had eaten much that day, due to chasing the children around and trying to get a moment alone whenever they could, they were both famished and dug into the meal right away. Hermione took a bite of the food and looked at her husband in amazement before saying, "You did NOT cook this."  
  
Ron laughed. "So little faith in me?" he asked.  
  
"Of course not," said Hermione. "You just don't cook like this. Or have you been holding back on me so I don't make you cook every night?"  
  
Ron laughed again, and said, "Well, I haven't been holding out on you, but I really did cook this. Mum gave me a few lessons. But I swear this is the only thing I know how to cook."  
  
Hermione smiled at him. "It's great," she said. "I hope you'll make it more often. It was nice today. I didn't have to make breakfast, or dinner."  
  
"Well, I just wanted to do something nice for you," said Ron. "You do so much around here yourself. You take care of the kids, you take care of me, you make sure everything's always running smoothly - even though it never really does. And I just wanted to thank you for that, and to thank you for being there for the past ten years. For the past eighteen years, to be exact. I just want to make sure that you know how much I love you."  
  
Hermione smiled, and took his hand into hers. "You show me that everyday," she said. "With your words, your actions, the way you interact with our children. I love you too."  
  
"Happy anniversary," Ron said.  
  
"Happy anniversary," Hermione repeated.  
  
The couple continued to enjoy their dinner. When it was time for dessert, Ron conjured a trifle and a bottle of champagne, which Hermione guessed he had been hiding in the kitchen. He waved his wand towards the living room and muttered a spell, and soon soft music filled the air.  
  
"Hermione? Do you want to dance with me?" Ron asked when they had finished their dessert.  
  
"I would love to," Hermione said, and she took his hand and they moved into the living room. With a few waves of his wand, Ron had the furniture moved to the sides of the room, and the lights twinkling. He took Hermione in his arms and began to sway to the music, and the happy couple danced the night away. 


	2. Professor Potter

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Note: Sorry for the delay in updating. It takes me longer to write Harry/Ginny chapters. I don't write them as well as I write Ron and Hermione! Sorry I couldn't oblige you with a sorting hat song - I'm not great at anything that resembles poetry! (And apologies in advance: I know this isn't my best work.)  
  
Chapter Two: Professor Potter  
  
On the morning of September 1, Ginny Potter woke her husband up early. "Okay," she said to him, "vacation's over."  
  
Harry groaned and pulled her down onto the bed. "Harry!" she laughed. "Harry! You really do have to get up. Professor McGonagall is expecting you."  
  
"Have I ever been late for work, Gin?" Harry asked.  
  
"Not since we moved to Hogsmeade," said Ginny, remembering his scrambles to get out of the house when they lived further away from the school.  
  
Though Harry knew that he would get up and head to work, he said, "But the students won't be there until tonight!"  
  
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed again. "You know you have to get ready for tomorrow."  
  
"I know," he said, finally opening his eyes and looking at her. She smiled, kissed him and stood. "Are you going to let the first years 'ooh' and 'ahh' over you?"  
  
"Only on the first day," said Harry. He had started teaching at his alma mater, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the year before. He had caused quite a stir, and most of his students had wanted to talk about his defeat of Voldemort and his career as a Quidditch player instead of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry amended the situation by allowing them each one class session to ask questions. He intended to do the same this year, but only with his first years.  
  
Harry, Ginny, and their children - James, 7, and Lily, 2 - had moved to a new house in Hogsmeade towards the end of the last school year. They had avoided it for as long as possible, but had finally realized that they were seeing Harry less and less as the school year wore on. They hoped the move to Hogsmeade would make life easier.  
  
* * *  
  
Ginny was in the kitchen when Harry finally pulled himself out of bed and went downstairs. James was sitting at the kitchen table, avoiding his breakfast and reading a broomstick supply catalog instead. He looked up hopefully when his father walked in but his face fell again when Harry said, "You know you're not old enough yet."  
  
Lily, sitting in her high chair, smiled and held her arms out to her father. Harry lifted her up and kissed her cheek, then leaned over and ruffled James' hair. "I know you want one," he said to his son, "and you will have one. Just not yet."  
  
"Mum!" James protested.  
  
"Don't look at me," said Ginny. "You heard your father."  
  
Defeated, James sighed and picked up his fork to eat. Harry sat down across from him, and placed Lily on his knee. "You want to come to Hogwarts with me today?" he asked James.  
  
"Okay," said James. "Can we play on the field?"  
  
"Well, I have some things to do, but I'll do my best to make some time before the students get there, okay?"  
  
"Okay," said James.  
  
"You want to come, Gin?" Harry asked his wife.  
  
"No thanks," said Ginny. "You and James go. I think Lily and I will have ourselves a girls' day."  
  
"Sounds nice," said Harry. It was Ginny's day off. She and Hermione ran a private Mind Reading practice, one of the benefits being that they worked a four day week in order to spend more time with their families.  
  
Harry turned to his son. "Whattaya say, James? Want to spend the day, just you and me?"  
  
"Yeah!" said James, excited. He rarely got to spend time along with his father and he quickly learned to take advantage of it when he could.  
  
Harry looked at his watch. "We've got to get going soon though," he said. "You ready?" James nodded, but he was still in his pajamas.  
  
"Come on, Jamie," Ginny said to her son. "Let's get you dressed." James slid from the chair and followed his mother upstairs.  
  
* * *  
  
An hour later, Harry and James were walking up the path that led to Hogwarts. James ran ahead of Harry once they were on the grounds, and Harry didn't worry about his. Even with the threat of Voldemort long gone, Hogwarts was still one of the safest places to be.  
  
"I beat you dad!" James exclaimed with glee. He was standing at the entrance to the castle, waiting for his father.  
  
"Looks like you did," said Harry. "Ready to go inside?" He didn't wait for James' answer before he opened the door.  
  
Harry let James walk into the school first, and then followed. In the entrance hall they ran into Professor Sprout, who waved hello to them before heading to the door herself, wanting to prepare the greenhouses. "We're going to go up to my office for a little while," Harry said to James, and the little boy nodded and sprinted up the marble staircase, knowing very well where his father's office was.  
  
The school was empty, save for the occasional teacher passing by. Argus Filch gave Harry a dirty look for bringing James with his when they passed by. "Don't worry about it, Filchy," Harry said, always relishing the fact that he could tease the old caretaker now without getting himself into hot water, "he's not going to make a mess. And if he does, I'll clean it."  
  
"You'd better," Filch said, and he walked off down the hallway, his old cat following slowly along. Harry and James continued their trek down the hallway until they had reached Harry's office.  
  
James immediately ran to his favorite corner of the office, where Harry had a tank full of creatures. Harry's teaching was reminiscent of his favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin, and he intended to make nearly all of his classes hands on. It was true that Defense Against the Dark Arts was not as needed as it once was, but there were still things that students - and witches and wizards in general - had to look out for. There was no dark wizard as powerful as Voldemort had been, but there were still wizards who preferred the darker arts, and Harry thought it important to be prepared. His theory was that proper Defense Against the Dark Arts training would ensure that those who did go to the dark side would not be able to get very far.  
  
"What's this?" James asked, and he pointed to a grindylow. Harry explained what the creature was, as well as his own experiences with them. James was always fascinated to hear stories of his father, especially when they involved an adventure of some kind.  
  
The story, however, was interrupted by a knock on the door, and Professor McGonagall poked her head in. "Busy?" she asked.  
  
"Not just yet," said Harry. "Come in."  
  
Professor McGonagall walked into the room. There was a different air about her. She was always more casual when the students weren't around. "Hello James," she said when she saw the little boy. "How are you?"  
  
"Good," said James, but his attention was still focused on the grindylow.  
  
"Are you ready for Hogwarts already?" Professor McGonagall asked.  
  
James laughed. "No, I'm not a student!"  
  
Professor McGonagall smiled. "Well, you could have fooled me. You're studying that grindylow so intently." James didn't say anything else, but turned and smiled at the professor before moving on to another creature.  
  
"You ready for tonight, Harry?" Professor McGonagall asked. Harry had been appointed the teacher in charge of the sorting, and so it was his duty to bring out the hat and place it on the first years' heads. He liked the job. He was just glad they hadn't asked him to escort the first years across the lake. Luckily, Hagrid was still happy to take care of that.  
  
"I'm ready," said Harry. "Anything you need me to do to prepare for tonight?"  
  
"Not a thing," said Professor McGonagall. "Dobby and the other house elves are taking care of everything in the kitchens, the Great Hall is being adorned by Professor Flitwick as we speak, and the castle is clean and ready for the students tonight. In fact, the Hogwarts Express should be chugging them along right now. Just do what you need to do, and you should have plenty of time to take a certain someone flying out on the Quidditch field before the students arrive tonight."  
  
James looked up, knowing that he was the subject of the conversation. "Can we go now, dad?" he asked eagerly.  
  
"Well, I have a little bit of work to do," said Harry, "but we will get a chance. I promise. Until then, would you like to go down and visit Hagrid?"  
  
"Okay!" said James.  
  
"I'll take him down," said Professor McGonagall, and Harry thanked her. Once they were gone, he sat down at his desk and started to work.  
  
* * *  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't James Potter!" said Hagrid happily when he opened the door and saw the boy standing there.  
  
"Hiya Hagrid!" James said.  
  
"Come on in, come on in!" Hagrid said, and he stood aside so James could make his way into the hut. "How's yer mum and dad?"  
  
"Good," said James. "Dad's working, but he said we could play Quidditch later. Mummy's at home with Lily."  
  
"Very nice," said Hagrid, and he moved to the table and gestured to a plate of cookies. "Want some?"  
  
"Sure!" said James, and he climbed into one of Hagrid's huge chairs and grabbed a cookie. He took a bite, and then, not wanted to be rude, turned his head and put the bite in a napkin. He hid the rest of the cookie from Hagrid's view, remembering too late the stories his parents and aunt and uncle had told him about Hagrid's cooking.  
  
"What have yeh been up to this summer James?" Hagrid asked, taking a seat across from the boy and biting into one of the cookies.  
  
"Avoiding Lily," said James.  
  
"Little sister a bit of a pain, is she?" Hagrid asked.  
  
"The biggest pain in the world," James said. "She's always breaking things."  
  
"She's only two years old, James," said Hagrid, in Lily's defense. "I'm sure she'll stop breakin' things soon. Besides, I bet she thinks you're a pretty cool big brother."  
  
James smiled at this, but didn't say anything else. He looked around the room, surveying all the things Hagrid had there. "Did you have any good creatures here, Hagrid?" James asked. It was quickly becoming clear to his parents and other adults around him that James had a penchant for animals, and they suspected he would one day excel in a Care of Magical Creatures Class.  
  
"So I hear yer cousin Phillip's coming to Hogwarts next year," Hagrid said.  
  
"Yup!" said James. "He's the oldest. I can't wait till I can come."  
  
"Well, you know we'll be happy to have you here," said Hagrid. "I miss my regular afternoon teas with you dad and mum, and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron. Do yeh think yeh'd want to have tea with me sometimes?"  
  
"Sure!" said James, and Hagrid smiled. The pair spent the next hour talking to each other, James listening to stories about his father, mother, aunt and uncle and all their adventures when they were at Hogwarts. It seemed as though he was only there ten minutes when a knock sounded at the door.  
  
"Must be yer dad," said Hagrid, and sure enough, when he opened the door Harry was standing on the other side of it.  
  
"Having fun?" he asked, stepping into the room.  
  
"Yup!" said James. "Dad, did you really go into the Forbidden Forest?"  
  
Harry looked at Hagrid, who simply chuckled. "A few times," Harry admitted. "But only in an emergency! The Forbidden Forest is way too dangerous for you. However, the Quidditch field should be just fine. Are you ready to head down there?"  
  
"Yeah!" said James, hopping down from the chair. "You want to watch, Hagrid?"  
  
Hagrid smiled and thanked James. "I've got ter be getting ready for later, when the students arrive. But I'll be sure to see yeh next time, all right?"  
  
"All right," said James, and they said their good-byes.  
  
* * *  
  
James was flying high when Ginny arrived at the Quidditch field. She watched her husband and son soar through the air and throw the Quaffle at each other. "Daddy!" Lily laughed and pointed. "James!"  
  
"There they are!" Ginny said to Lily, and she placed the little girl in the grass so she could toddle along.  
  
Harry spotted them first and directed James to the ground. "Hello, Gin," he said, and he kissed her.  
  
"Do we have to go?" James asked, knowing the reason for this mother's visit.  
  
"You know we do," said Ginny. "It's getting late, and dad has to get ready for the feast tonight."  
  
"But we were just getting started!" James complained.  
  
"James, we've been playing for two hours," said Harry. "And I promise you can come and see the first Quidditch match this year. Right, Gin?"  
  
"Of course," said Ginny. "But now we're going to head home and have dinner. Ron and Hermione are coming over with Emma, Olivia and Jack."  
  
"Can I tell them all about today?" James asked.  
  
"Of course," said Ginny. "Now, do you have anything inside, or are you ready?"  
  
"I'm ready," said James.  
  
"If he left anything upstairs, I'll bring it home later," said Harry.  
  
"Sure," said Ginny. "Are you going to stay overnight?"  
  
"I don't know yet," said Harry. "I guess I'll see how long the feast goes. I'll send Hedwig over with a note to let you know."  
  
Ginny nodded, and kissed her husband. "Bye then. Have a nice evening!"  
  
"You too," said Harry, with a slight chuckle because he knew that having all the children in the house would be no picnic (though nothing compared to the amount of students he would have to face himself that evening). He watched as his family disappeared out of sight, and then headed back into the castle to get ready for the evening.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry stood at the entrance to the Great Hall, awaiting Hagrid's arrival with the first years. There was no mistaking their entrance when he heard the footsteps, though most of the students were in awe of the castle (and Hagrid, for that matter) and so their voices were hushed. "Here yeh are," said Hagrid to Harry. "Fresh off the boats. Firs' years, this is Professor Potter. He'll be in charge of the sortin' tonight."  
  
"Welcome!" said Harry brightly, and he heard a small murmur rush through the crowd, and saw some of the children towards the back crane their necks towards him to get a better look. "Follow me, and we'll get you sorted into your houses." The doors to the Great Hall opened and Harry walked in, the line of first years behind him. Some of the older students waved at Harry as he walked in, and he smiled at them as a return greeting.  
  
Harry disappeared into the small room off the Great Hall and returned moments later with the ratty old hat. He placed it on a stool and everyone watched with bated breath. The rip opened and the sorting hat began to sing.  
  
Another school year had begun. 


	3. Turning Thirty

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Chapter Three: Turning Thirty  
  
March 1st  
  
Emma Weasley skipped down the hallway of her house on the morning of March 1st, singing, "It's my birthday! It's my birthday! I'm six years old today!"  
  
"Emma!" her mother called to her. "Your dad's still sleeping! I think we can let him sleep, seeing as it's his birthday today too."  
  
Emma stopped skipping and poked her head in the bedroom door. "Sorry, mummy! I forgot."  
  
"It's okay," said Hermione. "Wait for me, we'll go downstairs and get some breakfast."  
  
"Okay," said Emma, and she hopped from one foot to the other waiting for her mother to emerge from the bedroom.  
  
"Let's get your brother," said Hermione when she came out, clad in her bathrobe. She and Emma walked into nearly one-year-old Jack's room, where the boy was sitting in his crib playing with some toys.  
  
"Ready to get up, my little man?" Hermione asked. Jack looked up right away at the sound of his mother's voice, and stood at the side of the crib, waiting to be picked up. Hermione reached for him and then let him rest against her hip as they left the room and moved down the hall to two and a half year old Olivia's room. One peek into the room told Hermione that her second child was still sleeping, and she smiled and shut the door again behind her, leading Emma and Jack downstairs.  
  
"You don't want to wake her up?" Emma asked.  
  
"She's like daddy the way she sleeps," said Hermione. "There's no need to wake her up on such a special day."  
  
"You mean she gets to sleep cause it's my birthday?" Emma asked.  
  
"Well," Hermione began. "I was actually thinking about it being your dad's birthday. This is a big birthday, you know."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Your dad's turning thirty today," said Hermione, and as she said it she couldn't believe her words. It still seemed like only yesterday that they were still in Hogwarts.  
  
"So?" Emma asked. "I'm six!"  
  
Hermione laughed. "I know you are," she said. "And I think it's your special day too. It's just that when someone turns thirty, it's usually a pretty big event."  
  
"How come?" Emma asked.  
  
Hermione put Jack in his high chair before continuing. "Well, a lot of people think that when you turn thirty you're getting older. Some people think it's when you're really an adult."  
  
"Are you thirty?" Emma asked.  
  
"No," said Hermione, quick to keep her age still at twenty-nine. "No, not yet."  
  
"Are we going to do something for dad's birthday?" Emma asked.  
  
Hermione leaned close to Emma. "Don't tell your dad, but we're going to have a surprise birthday party at grandma's house later." Emma smiled widely, and made a motion as if to zipper her mouth shut.  
  
"The secret's safe with me, mummy!" she exclaimed.  
  
* * *  
  
An hour later, Emma, Olivia (who had come downstairs still quite sleepy eyed about twenty minutes after Hermione) and Jack were well fed, and Ron was still snoozing away upstairs. Seeing that the children were secure where they were, with Jack in his playpen, and Emma and Olivia watching a movie, Hermione went upstairs to see if Ron had any plans to get out of bed.  
  
When she entered the bedroom, he was still snuggled tightly under the covers. She got in next to him and put her arm around him. "Happy Birthday, love," she whispered in his ear before kissing his cheek. Ron's groan told her that he had been up for quite a while.  
  
"I'm not getting up!" he said, sounding very much like one of the children.  
  
"Oh, Ron," said Hermione. "Come on. It's your birthday. AND your daughter's birthday, I might mention."  
  
"I don't care," said Ron. "I'm staying right here."  
  
"Time is not going to go backwards if you stay in bed, love," said Hermione. "Now, come on, downstairs."  
  
"Are you sure I can make it?" Ron asked. "I might be too old to walk downstairs anymore."  
  
Hermione laughed, and Ron looked at her with just one eye open. "It's not funny."  
  
Hermione continued to laugh as she said, "Yes, it is."  
  
"You don't know!" he exclaimed. "You're still young! You're not going to be as old as I am for another six months!"  
  
"Well, for someone who thinks he's so old, you're certainly acting like a big baby!" Hermione said matter-of-factly, which caused her and Ron to engage in a small staring contest.  
  
"I'm not a baby!" Ron finally said, and he buried his head under the covers. "And I'm too old for you. How can you stand to sleep next to me?"  
  
Hermione laughed again, and snuggled closer to him, moving the blankets so they were eye to eye. "I'll have you know," she said, and she kissed him, "that you happen to be the most attractive man I know."  
  
"Really?" Ron asked.  
  
"Really," Hermione confirmed. "And I don't care how old you get." She kissed him again. "I will always, always, want to be right here next to you." She placed a hand on the side of his face. "Understand?"  
  
"Prove it," he said glumly, but he responded instantly when Hermione kissed him deeply. He was at a loss for words - and breath, for that matter - when she pulled away from him.  
  
"Proof enough?" she asked.  
  
"I suppose," said Ron, but Hermione knew that she had him defeated, "but I still think I'm old."  
  
Hermione responded with another kiss, and then she coaxed him out of bed so that they could start their day.  
  
* * *  
  
"SURPRISE!" the family shouted as Ron and Hermione entered the living room of the Burrow. Ron was instantly taken aback, having thought that he would spend a quiet evening celebrating his birthday with his wife, children, parents, and his sister's family. He could see that was not the case as he saw all of his brothers standing in front of him, with their families. He immediately blushed beet red, and Hermione kissed his cheek when she saw this.  
  
"Was this your idea?" he asked his sister when she came to hug him.  
  
"It always is, isn't it?" Ginny said as she hugged him back before moving on to greet Hermione.  
  
"I tried to stop her," said Harry as he shook Ron's hand. "But there's no stopping Gin when she gets an idea in her head. But, happy birthday, mate."  
  
"Yeah, whatever," said Ron, having retained some of his bitterness from the morning. Still, he greeted his family with warm smiles, and was even able to get into the party by the end of the evening (even though he was smiling more at Emma's birthday cake with six candles, rather than at his own that, as a joke from Fred and George, contained 300 candles instead of just 30).  
  
At the end of the day, he had to admit that his birthday hadn't been that bad. He told Hermione as they lay in bed that night.  
  
"See," she said. "I told you."  
  
"And you meant what you said?" he asked. "That you love me no matter how old I get?"  
  
"Actually, I believe I said I wouldn't mind sleeping next to you no matter how old you got," Hermione teased. "But of course I love you. No matter how old you get."  
  
"Even if I have thinning hair like my dad?" Ron asked, and Hermione could hear real concern in his voice.  
  
"Of course," said Hermione, and she looked at him. "Though I don't think you need to worry about that." Ron smiled and ran a hand through his red hair, which so far had shown no signs of receding. He looked over at his wife, and then pulled her closer to him.  
  
"I'll love you no matter how old YOU get," he said affectionately, and they both fell asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
July 31st  
  
"Daddy!" Three-year-old Lily Potter squealed as her father spun her around in circles in their backyard. They had just finished a celebratory dinner in honor of Harry's thirtieth birthday, and were now relaxing in the backyard.  
  
"Harry!" Ginny warned, but there was amusement on her face. "She just ate. If she throws up, don't blame me!"  
  
"Okay, okay," said Harry, putting Lily on the ground. She swayed on her feet before she fell on her behind, giggling.  
  
"You okay, my girl?" Harry asked her.  
  
"I'm okay, daddy," she said. She was still laughing.  
  
"Come on! Cake time!" Ginny called out, and she emerged from the house carrying a birthday cake. "Let's all sing happy birthday to daddy!"  
  
James appeared from behind a tree and ran to the table, beating his father and sister there. "Can I help with the candles?" he asked.  
  
"No, I want to!" Lily exclaimed, and she broke off into a run towards the table where Ginny had now set the cake down.  
  
"No, me!" James exclaimed. "I'm older!"  
  
"You can BOTH help," said Ginny. "That is, if daddy doesn't want to do it himself."  
  
"Do what?" asked Harry.  
  
"Blow out your birthday candles," Ginny explained.  
  
"I don't know," said Harry. "Looks like a lot of candles to me. I think I might need two helpers."  
  
"Yay!" Lily exclaimed. "Let's sing!" She, Ginny and James broke out into song, and Harry smiled at them, though his lifelong attempts to be out of the spotlight made him uncomfortable even when people were singing the birthday song to him.  
  
"Time to blow them out!" James exclaimed when they were done, and Harry helped Lily reach the cake and she and James had all the candles out within seconds.  
  
"I want the pink flower, mummy," said Lily as she eyed the cake. Ginny cut into the cake, giving Harry the first piece. She obliged Lily with her pink flower, and then cut a third piece for James, finally getting one for herself. The small family sat around the table, enjoying it.  
  
"I know you wanted to have the big party," said Harry, "but this is so much better."  
  
"I still think we should have done something more," said Ginny.  
  
"Why?" Harry asked.  
  
"Harry, this is your THIRTIETH birthday," Ginny said. "You have to have a big celebration."  
  
"It's just another birthday," said Harry. "I don't see why it has to be such a big deal." Ginny seemed disappointed in her husband's lack of enthusiasm so he added, "This is what I like. A nice night at home with my favorite wife and kids."  
  
"Favorite, huh?" asked Ginny, her face brightening. "And how many am I being compared to, may I ask?"  
  
"You know you're the only one," said Harry, also smiling at her. "I don't need anymore to tell me you're the best one."  
  
Ginny smiled at him and was about to say something back when she glanced at Lily, "Lily, sweetie, don't do that." Harry looked over and saw that Lily had "painted" her face with the cake frosting.  
  
"It's pretty!" she said.  
  
"Well, of course it's pretty," said Ginny, attempting not to insult the little girl, "but it's very messy, so why don't we go inside and wash it off. It's just about time to get ready for bed anyway."  
  
Lily obliged, and she and Ginny headed into the house. "Don't you need to be thinking about getting to sleep soon?" Harry asked James.  
  
"No, I'm eight now," said James. "I can go to bed later."  
  
"Is that so?" Harry asked.  
  
"Uh-huh," James said with a nod.  
  
"We'll see," said Harry, and the tone in his voice didn't sound very promising to James.  
  
"Please, dad?" James asked. "Please?"  
  
"Well, I think it'll be all right," said Harry. James smiled.  
  
"Mum won't think it's all right though," said James.  
  
"Well," said Harry and he leaned in to have a confidential chat with James, "today's not mummy's birthday is it?" James laughed, happy to be a conspirator with his father.  
  
* * * Ginny wasn't happy that Harry had decided to let James stay up later, but she quickly got used to the idea and enjoyed the rest of the evening with her husband and son. When James finally dozed off on the couch, Harry and Ginny decided it was time they headed to bed as well. With Harry's help, James was placed safely in his own bed.  
  
"You know we're expected at Ron and Hermione's early tomorrow morning?" Ginny asked Harry.  
  
"Were they upset that they couldn't spend the day with us?" Harry asked.  
  
"I don't think so," said Ginny. "They understood. They like to spend time alone once in a while as well."  
  
"I'm sure Ron would have liked to wallow away his sorrows by himself on his birthday," said Harry. "How come you insisted on having a party for him?"  
  
"Because he's my brother," said Ginny, "and it's my job to do whatever my brother wants the least. With you though, I want to keep you around for a while, so I thought it best not to have a big party if you asked me not to."  
  
"And I REALLY, REALLY do appreciate that, Gin," said Harry. "I don't want to be in the spotlight, even if it is my birthday."  
  
"You certainly had a lot of owls today though," said Ginny, remembering the hailstorm of envelopes that had come in the mail that morning. "Did you get through them all?"  
  
"Are you kidding?" Harry asked. "There must be one from every student at Hogwarts!"  
  
"You found the good ones though, right?" Ginny asked.  
  
"If you mean the ones from people I know, yeah," said Harry. "Neville and Luna send their birthday greeting and best wishes, along with a drawing from Frankie." Ginny smiled. "And Hagrid, once again, sent food no one's going to eat, but you gotta love his big heart. And then, you know, there's the other staff at Hogwarts, your parents, Ron and Hermione, etc."  
  
"And the kids," said Ginny.  
  
"That goes without saying," said Harry. "And you, of course."  
  
Ginny smiled and kissed Harry before reaching over and turning off the lamp beside the bed. "I'm glad you enjoyed your birthday," said Ginny.  
  
"Thanks," said Harry. "Love you."  
  
"Love you too," said Ginny. "Good night."  
  
"Night, Gin."  
  
* * *  
  
September 19th  
  
"So, how does it feel, Hermione?" Ginny asked when she and Hermione were having lunch. "The big 3-0?"  
  
"I am NOT thirty," said Hermione. "I am twenty-nine and three hundred and sixty-five days old."  
  
"That bad, huh?" asked Ginny, amused.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Hermione, determined to be in denial and refusing to acknowledge her birthday.  
  
"Okay," said Ginny, "if you say so." They continued to enjoy their lunch, talking about anything and everything except the fact that it was Hermione's birthday.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry, Ginny, James and Lily joined Ron, Hermione and their children for dinner that night. Ron had insisted that they go out for dinner, even though his earlier conversations with Hermione made him decide to skip the step when the waiters come out with cake and sing happy birthday to her.  
  
"It's not my birthday," said Hermione. "I'm done with birthdays. Don't need them anymore."  
  
"Hermione," said Ron. "You're being unreasonable."  
  
"Unreasonable?" Hermione asked. "Ron, on your birthday you hid under the covers for half the morning."  
  
"Yes, but at least I acknowledged the fact that it was my birthday, even though I wasn't too happy about it," Ron said.  
  
"That's where we're different then," said Hermione. "I have simply decided that I am not going to have any more birthdays. I am twenty-nine and three hundred and sixty five days old."  
  
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, frustrated. "I want to celebrate with you. Can't you at least make an effort."  
  
"Think of something else to celebrate," said Hermione, "and I will be happy to celebrate with you."  
  
Ron smiled at her, despite her attitude about her birthday, and did a calculation in his mind. "Okay," he said. "Today we will celebrate how much I love you."  
  
Hermione laughed and him and kissed him. "Thanks for making up crap for me." She finished getting dressed, and they were ready to go when Harry and Ginny arrived.  
  
Dinner had gone well, as Ron - and Ginny - had already warned Harry that Hermione would not speak to him if he mentioned her birthday. The only people Hermione was sweet to when they said happy birthday to her were the children, who she thought too young to understand her explanation of how old she believed herself to be. Other than that, she spent the evening dodging the subject, and instead asking Harry how his third year of teaching at Hogwarts was turning out, always fascinated to know more about the world of education.  
  
"Why doesn't mummy want us to sing to her?" Three-year-old Olivia asked Ron when dessert came.  
  
"She's just being shy today," said Ron. "You know she doesn't like it when the people in the restaurant look at her."  
  
Olivia didn't recall her mother being shy about things like that in the past, but she stayed quiet and ate her ice cream happily. "She doesn't like her birthday, does she?" she asked Ron after a few moments.  
  
"Not this year," said Ron.  
  
"I like MY birthday," said Olivia, as though disliking your birthday was the craziest thing she had ever heard. She gestured for Ron to lean closer to her, and she said, "Maybe mummy's not feeling well."  
  
Ron laughed. "Maybe," he said, and he kissed his daughter on the cheek before she went back to the sundae in front of her.  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you ready for your present?" Ron asked as Hermione was getting ready for bed that night. He had snaked his arms around her and whispered in her ear. Hermione looked at him through the mirror she was standing in front of.  
  
"Ron, you've given me so many presents," she said. "How can there be more?"  
  
"This one is special," Ron said, and she turned in his arms until she was facing him.  
  
"Okay," she said. "What is it?"  
  
"One second," said Ron, and he went to the table beside his side of the bed and pulled out a sheet of paper. He opened it and let Hermione read it. It was a hotel receipt.  
  
Hermione gasped. "Paris?" she asked. "All of us?"  
  
"All of us," Ron confirmed. "Harry, Ginny and the kids too."  
  
"Oh my god," said Hermione. "I've always wanted to take you to Paris."  
  
"I know," said Ron. "And I can't wait to take YOU there." He pulled her close. "Just think of how romantic it will be. A boat cruise along the Seine. Seeing the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. April in Paris."  
  
"Let me see," said Hermione and she reached for the receipt that Ron held in his hand.  
  
"I'll give you this," said Ron, holding the receipt above her head, "if you tell me how old you really are today."  
  
Hermione stopped reaching for the tickets. "Ron..," she said.  
  
"Tell me," said Ron, with a gleam in his eye. "There's nothing to be ashamed of love."  
  
Hermione cast her eyes downward, then quickly looked at the papers in Ron's hand before looking at her shoes again and saying, softly, "Thirty."  
  
Ron bent over a little. "What's that?" he asked. "I couldn't hear you."  
  
"Thirty," said Hermione, loud enough for him to hear her.  
  
"That's what I thought you said," Ron said, and he handed her the hotel receipt. "Love, there's nothing wrong with being thirty. Look, I've been thirty for six months now, and I've gotten over it."  
  
Hermione laughed, in spite of herself. "It just makes me feel sad, that's all," she said. "It's been a long time since we've been teenagers."  
  
"I know," said Ron, "but don't you think that's a good thing? We've got our own money now, we don't have to be home by a certain hour to please our parents, and if we were still teenagers, we wouldn't have Emma, Olivia and Jack."  
  
"True," said Hermione.  
  
"And, besides, seeing as I love you more everyday that I spend with you, getting older is actually a good thing," said Ron. Hermione smiled at him. "And you know what? You're the most beautiful twenty-nine and three hundred and sixty five day old I know."  
  
Hermione laughed and hugged him, so hard that they fell onto their bed, laughing. 


	4. April in Paris

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: Creature references from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," by Newt Scamander (a.k.a. J.K. Rowling). Apologies on the long time period between updates - work and whatnot has been busy!  
  
Chapter Four: April in Paris  
  
Olivia Weasley watched eagerly out of the window as the train sped through the French countryside. Sitting across from her, also staring intently through the glass, was her cousin Lily. Every now and then, the two nearly four year old girls would face each other and giggle. Their mothers would look at each other and smile as well. It seemed that the cousins, so close together in age, always had some sort of big secret to share with each other that they didn't make the rest of the family privy to.  
  
"What's so funny?" Ginny asked Lily, though she knew the question was pointless.  
  
She knew she was correct when both girls giggled again and said, "Nothing."  
  
"Are we there yet?" James asked from his place in the compartment.  
  
"Another hour or so, buddy," Harry said to his son, to which James groaned.  
  
"I'm bored!" he announced.  
  
"Why don't you play a game?" Ginny asked him.  
  
"I know, I know!" Emma exclaimed with excitement. "We can play Guess the Creature!"  
  
"Okay!" said James. "I want to go first!" Emma obliged, and James began. "Okay, I'm shy and I live in trees."  
  
"Don't you think you need more information?" Ron asked James, but he was soon corrected.  
  
"Bowtruckle!" Emma called out, matter-of-factly, and Ron noticed with a smile how very Hermione-like Emma was when she answered questions. In fact, she continued. "They eat woodlice and if they are threatened they might take out your eyes." This time it was Hermione's turn to smile, because she recognized the same thing Ron had.  
  
"Like mother, like daughter," Ron said, and he laughed, causing the other adults to laugh as well as the train continued to speed towards Paris.  
  
* * *  
  
They arrived at their hotel in the evening, exhausted. "I'm beat," said Harry. "And I think Lily is too." He gestured to the little girl, who was sleeping in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder.  
  
"Perhaps we should head to bed," said Hermione, "and begin our explorations of the city tomorrow."  
  
"A good idea," said Ginny as James leaned into her, clearly tired as well. Ron and Hermione's children were in no better shape. Jack was sleeping in his stroller, Olivia was drowsy, but still standing. Emma seemed the only one wide awake.  
  
"Do I have to go to bed?" she asked.  
  
"You have to come up to the room with us," Ron said, "but you don't necessarily have to sleep when we get there."  
  
"Can't we go out?" Emma asked. "I want to see what Paris looks like in person."  
  
Hermione smiled at her. "I would love that, Em," she said. "But we've traveled all day, and everyone's tired. First thing in the morning, I promise." Emma made no more protest, and the families headed to their rooms to sleep off the train ride.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Emma was dressed and ready to go before anybody. Noticing right away that none of the other members of her family seemed ready to start the day, she pulled out her mother's trusty old copy of "Hogwarts: A History" (which Hermione never left home without) and started to read, until she heard Jack starting to stir. She smiled, because when the two-year-old awakened, it generally meant that everyone would soon be awake.  
  
Sure enough, within fifteen minutes Ron and Hermione had managed to get their three children ready to leave the hotel room. Emma volunteered to run down the hall to knock on Harry and Ginny's door to see if they were ready to go themselves.  
  
That afternoon, after a leisurely breakfast and a walk around the hotel to orient themselves, the two families found themselves standing beneath the Eiffel Tower. Olivia, already tired out, was being carried by Hermione and Jack was gleefully riding on Ron's shoulders. Harry and Ginny were in a similar situation with their kids.  
  
"I want to go up!" Emma exclaimed. In the time before their trip, she and Hermione had read many books about Paris, and Emma had become immediately intrigued with the city, and declared that she was going to see everything.  
  
"High up!" Jack exclaimed as he looked up at the tower.  
  
"I suppose we can take the elevator, can't we?" Ron asked, and he looked over at the ticket booth. "The line's not too long."  
  
"We can't come to Paris and not go to the top of the Eiffel Tower," Hermione said, and she led the way. Harry, Ginny, James and Lily followed. Hermione, the only one nearly fluent in French (though Ron, Harry and Ginny had picked up bits and pieces of other languages in their various job trainings years earlier) was the one elected to buy the tickets.  
  
The five children looked, amazed, through the windows of the elevator as they rose higher and higher. They had certainly been in elevators before, and James and Emma knew how to fly on broomsticks, but there was still something about watching the metal of the Eiffel Tower pass them by as they rose higher and higher into the air.  
  
Emma eagerly ran to the side of the tower to look down. "Look, mummy! From this high up, the people down there look like litter on the ground!" She giggled, and James immediately ran over to have a look for himself.  
  
Hermione looked as well, and said, with a laugh, "You're right Em. They do kind of looks like scraps of paper from this height."  
  
"I want to see!" Olivia exclaimed. Standing on the ground, she was too short to see over the wall. Hermione lifted her up, and the entire family looked out over Paris.  
  
"Oh, look!" Hermione exclaimed, and she pointed out various landmarks: the Sacre Coeur, the Louvre, and Notre Dame.  
  
"I want to see all of it," said Emma dreamily, and she gazed down at the Seine river dreamily, until the family decided to head down and find some lunch.  
  
* * *  
  
On the third day of their trip, Harry and Ginny awoke to the sun shining in their room. A quick glance told them that the children were still sleeping, and Harry hugged Ginny close to him and whispered in her ear, "Happy Anniversary." The trip, in addition to being a birthday present for Hermione, was serving the purpose of celebrating Harry and Ginny's tenth wedding anniversary.  
  
Ginny smiled, turning to face Harry. "Happy Anniversary," she repeated before she kissed him. They lingered in bed, whispering to each other, until their reverie was interrupted by James.  
  
"I'm hungry!" he announced. Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry and they got out of bed and prepared for their day.  
  
As a gift to the couple, Ron and Hermione agreed to have James and Lily stay in their hotel room over night, so that Harry and Ginny could go out to dinner and spend some time alone. At five o'clock that evening, they dropped the children off and headed out of the hotel. They knew their destination: they were going to enjoy a leisurely dinner, and then see the Paris city lights by night when they took a boat cruise over the Seine River.  
  
They sat down to dinner in a restaurant that used forks in both the traditional and non-traditional sense, as they graced the tables - and the walls in decorative sculptures. "This is nice," Ginny said to Harry, and he agreed. "Do you think Ron and Hermione will be okay with the kids tonight?"  
  
"I think so," said Harry, and he looked at her. "But I don't think we should worry about that. Tonight is just for us. The kids are in good hands, Ron and Hermione know how to find us if they need us, and we have all night to spend together."  
  
Ginny smiled in anticipation, thinking of later on that evening when they would get back to the hotel room. Still, she pulled her mind back to the present when the waiter came over and asked what they wanted to drink. Harry ordered their most expensive bottle of champagne. When Ginny started to complain about the cost, Harry halted her, saying, "Gin, it isn't everyday that we celebrate ten years of being married."  
  
Ginny didn't complain again after that, and decided to enjoy the evening she had with her husband. She certainly didn't complain about the food - which she and Hermione had been gushing over since they arrived, and she didn't complain when she and Harry walked hand in hand to the Metro station to head to the river.  
  
It was dark when the cruise began, exactly what they had been hoping for. They chose seats on the top of the boat, towards the back, where they could watch the lights of Paris go by without a lot of obstruction. As expected, the boat was quite crowded, but for the happy couple it seemed as though they were the only two there.  
  
Ginny gasped as the lit up Eiffel Tower came into view. "Look how nice it is, Harry," she said, and pointed. Harry agreed, and kissed her, before putting his arm around her and holding her closer to him.  
  
"You know," she said, "I think this is the best anniversary celebration we've ever had."  
  
"Well, I don't know about the best," said Harry. "But it's definitely the most interesting. I have to say though, Gin, that all our anniversaries have been pretty special." Ginny sighed and nodded, and they continued to watch Paris pass them by, ignoring the sound of the announcer telling them stories about the various landmarks they were passing.  
  
They walked back to the hotel hand in hand, despite the late hour. They had long ago discovered a passion for walking around together after dark. Since the threat of Voldemort had gone away, they didn't feel unsafe, and they loved looking up at the stars, though with the millions of lights in Paris, the stars were faded.  
  
They arrived back at the hotel room, and Harry called room service to get another bottle of champagne, as well as a dozen roses. Ginny stood and looked out the window. Harry joined her and they watched cars drive by. "Wouldn't you like to live here?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Maybe for a little while," said Harry, and he kissed her, before pulling her away from the window and shutting the curtains. "But I think I'd miss the life we have too much." He backed her towards the bed.  
  
"I think you're right," said Ginny, and she felt the bed hit her knees and she sat down on it and moved to lean against the headboard. Harry sat next to her and kissed her again.  
  
"I love you," he said.  
  
"Love you too," Ginny said back, and Harry kissed her again before turning out the lights. 


	5. The Arrival of Charlotte Elizabeth Weasl...

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: Well, it's a question, really. A lot of you have asked me if Harry and Ginny are going to have another child. Now, in my original vision of the story, Ron and Hermione have four and Harry and Ginny have two (I can't explain it, it's just the way the story came to me). However, if it's in demand, I might be willing to make Harry and Ginny have another. So, let me know in reviews if that's what you want. I can't make any promises, but I'll think about it!  
  
Chapter Five: The Arrival of Charlotte Elizabeth Weasley  
  
The trip to Paris gave the two families many happy memories, and even by the following December it was still a topic of conversation that they returned to whenever they gathered together. However, once they were back, they quickly fell into the routines of everyday life again.  
  
"See you next week, Mr. Habersham," Hermione said to the man that was walking out of her office. Ginny was in the lobby, talking to the receptionist, and she turned when she saw Hermione was free.  
  
"No one for another half hour," she said.  
  
"Thank goodness," said Hermione, and she stepped out into the lobby and sat down in one of the plush armchairs. She sighed.  
  
"You okay?" Ginny asked, taking a seat next to her.  
  
"Fine," said Hermione, with a yawn. "Just exhausted."  
  
"More so than usual?" Ginny asked. She knew Hermione did not often complain about being tired. Hermione nodded.  
  
"We've been busy," Hermione said. "The kids have been busy. Jack's more active than ever now, so we're always chasing him around the house, unless we can get Emma to do it for us."  
  
"You want to take the rest of the day off?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Of course not," said Hermione. "I may be tired, but I'm not incapacitated. I can certainly see the rest of my patients. Besides, we're going to dinner at your mum and dad's tonight, and the kids'll be occupied by their grandparents for most of the evening. Are you and Harry coming, by the way?"  
  
"Not tonight," said Ginny. "Harry's coming home early, so we're going to try to actually sit down together and have a whole meal."  
  
"Busy term?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Isn't it always?" Ginny asked. She and Hermione smiled knowingly at each other, and the buzzer rang. The receptionist let in the next patient, and Hermione and Ginny returned to their respective offices.  
  
Once behind the door of her office, Hermione smiled to herself. She felt a little guilty, keeping her secret from Ginny. However, she wanted to wait until she had spoken to someone about it. She needed advice from someone who could relate to her experience. Luckily, she would be seeing that person later in the day.  
  
* * *  
  
As Hermione had predicted, the children were immediately swept up by their grandparents once she and Ron arrived at the Burrow. "It's so quiet around here," Mrs. Weasley said. "You know we love it when you visit."  
  
"And you know we love coming, mum," said Ron. "We're just busy."  
  
"Nonsense!" said Mrs. Weasley. "I know you have things to do. I'd just like to see you more often, that's all." She hugged Ron, and then Hermione. "I miss having my children around. Now, go make yourselves comfortable. Arthur will keep the kids occupied in the living room."  
  
Ron headed to the next room, then noticed Hermione was not behind him. "You coming?"  
  
"Go ahead," said Hermione. "I'm going to stay and help your mum." Ron smiled and nodded, and headed out of the room.  
  
Mrs. Weasley turned to Hermione. "Don't be ridiculous, dear," she said. "Relax. I never get to pamper anyone anymore."  
  
"I thought I'd keep you company," said Hermione.  
  
"Well, that's very nice of you dear," said Mrs. Weasley, and she handed Hermione a bowl. "We don't need to be on our feet for this project." The two women sat down at the kitchen table, and began rounding balls of dough to make biscuits. As they were working, Arthur lumbered through the living room, shortly followed by Emma, Olivia and Jack, who were in hysterics.  
  
Hermione smiled as her children ran through the room, and then she turned to Mrs. Weasley. "How did you do it?" she asked.  
  
"Do what, dear?"  
  
"Have seven kids?"  
  
"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley, "it was nothing." At the look on Hermione's face, she added. "Well, it's just that I learned very quickly that it was one thing to have one child, and then it was quite another to have more than one child. I mean, three was nearly the same as two, and five was nearly the same as three." Hermione laughed at the reference to the twins.  
  
"I'm just impressed, I suppose," said Hermione. "That you managed to do everything, it seems."  
  
"You're one to talk," said Mrs. Weasley. "Arthur and I are always saying how proud we are of you, working and taking care of the children." Hermione blushed, and thanked her for the compliment. "Mind you, you only have three."  
  
"Well, actually," Hermione began, to which Mrs. Weasley looked up, interested. Hermione smiled at her. "Actually, I'm fairly certain I'm pregnant again."  
  
Mrs. Weasley positively beamed, as she always did when the subject was another grandchild. "Have you told Ron yet?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "You're the first to know," she said. "Besides me."  
  
"I'm so honored," said Mrs. Weasley. "You know, I think you're the first of all my daughters-in-law to tell me about her pregnancy before anyone else." Hermione smiled, but Mrs. Weasley noticed something off in her eyes. "Is something wrong dear?"  
  
"I'm a little scared, to tell you the truth," said Hermione.  
  
"Whatever for?"  
  
"I'm going to have FOUR children," said Hermione. "FOUR."  
  
"It's not so different from having three," said Mrs. Weasley. "Believe me, you're talking to the right person. I was terrified each time I got pregnant, the most so with Ginny, since she and Ron were so close together. But I managed. And look what I got out of it. I have seven wonderful children, who in turn married seven wonderful people, and have given me wonderful grandchildren." Hermione smiled. Mrs. Weasley continued. "You and Ron are made to be parents. I see the way the two of you are with your children, and how much you adore them. How can you be scared of another one, when clearly there's so much room in your hearts?"  
  
Hermione's smile was brighter now. "You really think I can handle four?" she asked.  
  
"I think you can handle anything, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, and she smiled at her - and she wasn't afraid to admit this to anyone - favorite daughter- in-law.  
  
"Thanks, Molly," said Hermione.  
  
"You know," Mrs. Weasley said, "I always knew that you and Ron were meant for each other. Beneath your constant arguing, I always saw that spark. I was always afraid it would ignite too soon, but it seems as though my son kept himself clueless to it long enough, so you two were able to build your friendship. I believe that's why your love - and your marriage - are so strong."  
  
Hermione smiled again, and stood. "I need to talk to Ron," she said. "Do you mind?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Of course not," she said. "And send the boy in here as soon as you tell him. I want to congratulate him."  
  
"I will," said Hermione, and she hugged Mrs. Weasley. "Thank you. For your advice."  
  
"My pleasure," said Mrs. Weasley, and she continued to work with the dough as Hermione went into the next room to find Ron.  
  
* * *  
  
Pulling on his coat, he asked her, "What are we doing out here?" She had taken him to the only place one could find real privacy at the Burrow - the backyard.  
  
Hermione was beaming, excited now to tell him the news. He saw her face, and smiled back at her, though he didn't know why. All he knew was that her smile had always had that effect on him. "What's going on?" he asked.  
  
"I have good news," she said. "Great news."  
  
"What is it?" Ron asked eagerly.  
  
"It seems as though you're going to be a father again," Hermione said, and she waited for his reaction. She expected it to be like the other times she had told him she was expecting their child, but she was surprised.  
  
"Really?" he asked. He seemed to not believe her.  
  
Her smile faltered a little. "Yes," she said, trying to sound enthusiastic. When Ron didn't jump up and hug her she started to get more than a little concerned. "Ron? Ron, what's the matter?" He still didn't answer. "Ron?" Hermione tried again. Her smile was completely gone, as was her feeling of elation. "You're not happy about this, are you?"  
  
"What?" Ron asked, suddenly coming out of his reverie. "No, Hermione, of course I'm happy."  
  
"Then why are you acting like I've told you someone's died?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ron looked at her and took her hands. "Hermione, I will never think that our having a child is a bad idea. But, FOUR kids? Can we handle FOUR kids?"  
  
Hermione let out a sigh of relief and laughed, knowing that he was just concerned as she had been a mere ten minutes earlier. "Is that all?" she asked. "You're worried about us not being able to handle this?" Ron nodded, and she noticed a slight blush creep to his cheeks. She smiled and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Listen to this, Ron," she said, and she repeated what Mrs. Weasley had told her in the kitchen. When she was finished, Ron was smiling again.  
  
"Really?" he asked. "My mum said that?" Hermione nodded. "I always knew she was a smart woman." He took Hermione by surprise and pulled her close to him.  
  
"You amaze me, Hermione," he said.  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"Because you're you," he said. "And because you love me, and because you're about to have our child. Again. I love you, so much."  
  
"I love you too, Ron," she said, and he kissed her. When they pulled apart, he said, "Now, are we telling the kids tonight?"  
  
"Maybe," said Hermione. "But your mum has instructed me to send you in so she can congratulate you."  
  
"Okay, then," said Ron. "It's getting cold out here anyway." Hermione smiled. Ron took her hand, and they headed back into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley greeted them both with hugs.  
  
* * *  
  
Ginny had a few things to say to Hermione when she found out that her mother had known about Hermione's pregnancy before she did. "I see you EVERYDAY!" Ginny exclaimed. They were back at work, enjoying their lunch break. Hermione had kept her secret all morning.  
  
"I know," said Hermione, "but I needed to ask your mum some advice first."  
  
"Freaked out?" Ginny asked, knowingly.  
  
"I was," said Hermione, "but now I'm okay. Your mum gave me some really good advice."  
  
"No wonder you're mum's favorite daughter-in-law. You're giving her the most grandchildren. So are you and Ron trying to break the Weasley record?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Not a chance!" said Hermione with a laugh. "I think we've hit our limit." She turned the tables. "What about you and Harry?"  
  
"I don't know," said Ginny. "I'm pretty happy with the two we have. Besides, coming from such a big family, I started to feel lost in the shuffle after a while, even if I was the only girl. I don't want James and Lily to feel like that."  
  
"Gin, three's a lot different than seven," Hermione said to her.  
  
Ginny shrugged. "I was happy with just James," she said. "Not that I wasn't thrilled when I found out I was pregnant with Lily."  
  
"We didn't plan this one either," said Hermione. "But now that she's coming-"  
  
"SHE?" Ginny asked, with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Yes, SHE," said Hermione, feeling very certain that this new baby would be another girl. "Now that she's coming, it seems to fit. I don't know. It seems as though all the puzzle pieces are in place."  
  
"Are the kids excited?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Emma and Olivia are," said Hermione. "I don't think Jack really understands. But then again, Emma didn't really understand when she was his age, and I told her she was going to be a big sister for the first time."  
  
"Well, I'm sure Jack will figure out all too soon that he's not going to be the baby anymore," said Ginny, and she laughed and headed back to her work, for another patient had just come in the door.  
  
* * *  
  
The months passed. Emma turned eight years old, Olivia turned five and Jack turned three. The three Weasley siblings all anticipated the birth of their new baby brother or sister. The girls were in the same vote as their mother, however, and insisted that the new baby was going to be a girl. "I'm surrounded by girls!" Ron said, though it was only in mock complaint.  
  
Ron and Hermione spent the last month of her pregnancy converting her home office into a baby's room. "Remind me again. Why didn't we make Emma and Olivia share?" Ron asked as he moved a changing table for the fourth time.  
  
"I don't want them to share," said Hermione. "They get along well in separate rooms; I want to keep it that way. Besides, even with all the brothers and sister you had, you never had to share a bedroom with any of them. Why shouldn't are kids have the same? We'll just put my office in the attic."  
  
"I suppose I'm going to have to move all that stuff up there too," Ron said.  
  
"You know, you can just levitate it up there," said Hermione, "but you seem intent on showing me how strong you are by moving furniture without magic."  
  
"Well," Ron said with a laugh. "How else can I impress you?" Hermione laughed with him, and punched him in the arm, after which he pulled out his wand and began moving the furniture around magically.  
  
"You'll thank me later, when your back doesn't hurt," said Hermione.  
  
"Always thinking of me," Ron said, and he kissed her before making a desk move out of the room and down the hall, on its way up the stairs to the attic. Hermione smiled and turned her attention to the baby's crib, which she was preparing with sheets.  
  
That night at dinner, as the family celebrated Olivia's fifth birthday, Emma peppered her mother with questions. "Mum, when will we get to see the new baby?" she asked.  
  
"Very soon," said Hermione. "Just another three weeks or so."  
  
"I can't wait!" said Olivia. "Now I get to be the bigger girl!"  
  
"Wait a minute," Ron interjected. "What make the three of you so sure that this new baby is a girl?"  
  
"We just know," said Emma, and she fixed him a look that was so much like her mother's that he didn't say another word - for a few moments, that is.  
  
"Well, what do you think we should call this new little girl?" Ron asked. He and Hermione had spent night after night discussing names, never coming up with something they could agree on. It seemed the logical next step to hand the task over to the children and see what they could come up with.  
  
"Charlie," Jack said, obviously thinking of his uncle. Charlie and his wife Dawn had been visiting recently, and Charlie tales of dragons had made quite an impression on the three-year-old.  
  
"Charlie is a BOY'S name," Emma said to her brother, with a hint of disgust in her voice. "We can't give a girl a BOY'S NAME."  
  
"I think it has a nice ring to it," said Ron. "What do you think, Liv?"  
  
Olivia shook her head. "I don't want the baby to have a boy's name."  
  
"I like Charlie," Jack said again.  
  
"Well, it seems we've reached a deadlocked vote. Looks like you're the tie breaker Hermione," Ron said, and he caught her eye and smiled at her. She had been watching the scene in front of her play out with an amused smile on her face. "What do you think of the name Charlie?"  
  
"I think that it's fine name," Hermione said, and she saw Emma and Olivia immediately open their mouths to protest. She put up a hand to stop them. "However, I think that in the case of a baby girl, the name Charlotte might be even better."  
  
"Charlotte," Ron repeated. "Charlotte Weasley." He smiled at Hermione again, and they both knew that they had finally settled up on a name for the newest member of their family. "I like the sound of that."  
  
"Me too," said Hermione. Their eyes were still locked together, even though the children were now talking amongst themselves.  
  
"I guess Charlotte is okay," said Olivia.  
  
"I think it's pretty," said Emma. The girls turned to look at Jack. "What do you think?"  
  
"Charlie," was all he said again.  
  
"I think we've got it settled then," said Hermione, turning her attention back to the children. "The new baby will be called Charlotte. And to appease Jack, he can call her Charlie if he wants too. It's a nice nickname, even if it might be a little confusing when the whole family gathers at the Burrow."  
  
That night, Hermione lay awake for quite a while. "Can't sleep?" Ron asked her when she turned over for the twelfth time.  
  
"Just thinking about thins," Hermione said. "Nothing major, really."  
  
"Everything'll be fine," said Ron. "We've managed with the three we've got. We'll manage with four. Just like mum said."  
  
"I know," Hermione said with a yawn. "It's just different, thinking about it. It's going to be very different once the baby comes home."  
  
"I know it will," said Ron. "But we've got each other."  
  
"Yeah," said Hermione, with a sigh.  
  
"Won't be long now, huh?" Ron asked.  
  
"Nope," said Hermione. "Not long at all."  
  
* * *  
  
On August 6th, Charlotte Elizabeth Weasley arrived, a week ahead of schedule. As they looked down at the newest member of their family, Hermione whispered to Ron, "I told you it was a girl!" 


	6. Surprise Delivery

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: Well, my last author's note seemed to be met with mixed opinions, so I decided to give half of you what you want, and hopefully the rest of you can get used to the new member of the Potter family.  
  
Chapter Six: Surprise Delivery  
  
Hermione sat in the living room, holding one-month-old Charlotte in her arms, and rocking the baby back to sleep. She turned her head when she heard a familiar voice call, "Hello?"  
  
"Hi Gin," Hermione called back. "I'm in here."  
  
Ginny walked into the room. "Hey," she said again. She knelt down and kissed Charlotte on the forehead. "Hi sweetie," she said to the now dozing infant. "You're just getting more beautiful everyday, aren't you?"  
  
"What's going on?" Hermione asked, as Ginny plopped down into an armchair with a sigh.  
  
"I have news," said Ginny.  
  
"What is it?" Hermione asked, immediately interested.  
  
"You remember that talk we had, about a year ago?" Ginny asked.  
  
Hermione looked at her. "You're going to have to help me out here, Gin. We talk almost every day. It gets a little hard to keep track."  
  
Ginny laughed. "The one where I asked you if you and Ron were going to break Mum and Dad's record for having children."  
  
"I think I can recall it," said Hermione. "But it was a long time ago."  
  
"It you remember, I think I said something to the effect of two children are enough for me." Hermione nodded.  
  
"And?" she asked, suddenly pretty sure she knew what Ginny's news was.  
  
"It turns out that THREE might have to be enough," Ginny admitted with a smile.  
  
Hermione didn't stand to hug her friend, for she was still holding Charlotte, but she beamed at her. "That's great!" she said. "Are you sure it's what you want, though? I know you and Harry talked about only two."  
  
"Well, things happen," said Ginny. "And whether this one is planned or not, he or she will be here in a couple of months. April, to be exact."  
  
"Have you told Harry yet?"  
  
"He's really happy," Ginny said. "He keeps joking that it'll be really easy for us, since we expect James to be in Hogwarts next September."  
  
* * *  
  
"Come on, guys! Let's go!" Hermione called out.  
  
"We're coming!" Emma yelled back. Still, it was a full five minutes before Emma and Olivia came running down the stairs.  
  
"We're ready!" The nearly-six-year-old Olivia called out.  
  
"Finally!" said Hermione. "We're going to be late meeting your dad."  
  
"Let's go!" Four-year-old Jack demanded. "Dad's waiting."  
  
"Okay, okay," said Emma, and she started towards the door, giving Hermione hardly any time to get now 8-month-old Charlotte and follow her daughter out the door.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hi, love," Ron said to Hermione as his family entered his office. He leaned over his desk and kissed his wife on the lips, much to the chagrin of the two little girls in the room with them. Ron then turned to the children and said, merrily, "Hello, all!" and proceeded to hug all of his children before finally taking Charlotte from Hermione and letting her get the kids settled down.  
  
"How's your day been?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Busy, as usual," said Ron. "But much better now that you're all here." He sat down at his desk and placed Charlotte in his lap. The baby immediately began to grab for things on his desk, pulling a quill towards her.  
  
"Oh no you don't," said Ron, and he pulled it from her hand. "This particular quill is NOT for eating."  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "And how would she know that there were some quills that you CAN eat?" She was thinking, of course, of sugar quills, one of the things she had been against letting Charlotte try at such a young age.  
  
"She's just.. curious," Ron said quickly. "You know how she eats EVERYTHING." He smiled sheepishly at her. Hermione kept her eyebrows raised, but turned to Emma, Olivia and Jack.  
  
"Are you ready to eat?" she asked. The kids nodded their response.  
  
"Let's go," said Ron, and he stood, and followed his family out the door. Emma, Olivia and Jack hurried ahead.  
  
"Don't run!" Hermione called out.  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Ron said, and he slid his hand into hers, having rested Charlotte against his hip. "A lot of the patients like to hear people full of life. Keeps them optimistic, which always helps with treatment."  
  
"I don't want them to get too far ahead, though," said Hermione.  
  
"They'll be fine, love," Ron assured her. "They've spent a lot of time here before."  
  
"And you know what kind of trouble they can get into," Hermione said, and she pulled ahead of him, pulling his hand to make him walk faster so she could keep an eye on her three oldest children.  
  
* * *  
  
The same day, at the Potter household, Ginny was waiting for Harry to arrive home. She had owled Hogwarts just minutes earlier, to let him know that the baby was ready to make its way into the world. As he was only down the road at the school, she expected him at any minute, but she still watched nervously out the window for him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Healer Ronald Weasley, please report to the Birthing Floor immediately," the announcer's voice boomed out. "Healer Ronald Weasley, please report to the Birthing Floor immediately." Ron and Hermione looked at each other.  
  
"Why do they need you on the Birthing Floor?" Hermione asked. "You don't oversee births."  
  
Ron seemed just as confused as she was, until a light went off in his head. "Ginny!" he said.  
  
Hermione gasped. "She must be having the baby," she said. "I told her I'd take care of James and Lily!"  
  
"Let's head up," said Ron, and they hurried the children from the table to the elevators and rode to the Birthing Floor of the hospital. When they reached the front desk, they were greeted with a smile by the Receptionist.  
  
"There you are," she said, recognizing Ron. "Your sister and her family arrived about twenty minutes ago. The children are in the waiting room. ALONE." She stressed the last word as though it were Ron's fault that James and Lily were left there.  
  
"I'll go," said Hermione. "You look in on Harry and Ginny." Ron nodded, and the couple parted ways, Hermione ushering the children into the very familiar waiting room of the Birthing Floor of St. Mungo's.  
  
"What's going on, mummy?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Aunt Ginny's going to have the baby today," Hermione explained.  
  
"Funny that we were here today," said Emma, and Hermione nodded in agreement. She pushed the door open to the waiting room and they entered, seeing Lily and James immediately.  
  
"Aunt Hermione!" Lily exclaimed, and she ran to Hermione and threw her arms around her legs.  
  
"Hi sweetheart," said Hermione. "What's going on?"  
  
"Coloring," said Lily simply.  
  
"Coloring?" Hermione repeated enthusiastically. "Let me see! Come on Olivia, let's see what Lily's doing." Olivia did not have to be told twice. When together, she and Lily were inseparable. She joined Lily at the small table and they sat down and used the crayons and paper together. Hermione sat with them, alternating between asking them about their drawing and pulling crayons away from Charlotte's mouth.  
  
"Can I color too?" Jack asked, coming over to them curiously.  
  
"Of course you can, love," said Hermione, and she patted the floor next to her to gesture for Jack to sit. Emma seemed to have no interest in coloring, and she headed to the chair next to James.  
  
"Hi," she said.  
  
"Hi," he said back.  
  
"What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Nothing," said James.  
  
"I think you're lying," said Emma. "I think you're nervous."  
  
"What would I be nervous about?" James spat out.  
  
"Your Hogwarts letter," said Emma. "You're worried it won't come."  
  
"It's not supposed to come for another two months," said James. "It comes in July."  
  
"Still," said Emma, matter-of-factly. "I think you're worried you won't get a letter."  
  
"I know I'm going to get one," the almost-eleven-year-old said firmly.  
  
"Aren't you worried just a little?" Emma asked again. James glared at her.  
  
"Fine! I'm worried," he said. "You happy now?"  
  
"I don't think you need to worry, James," said Emma seriously. "I know you'll get in." James looked at her, surprised by her sudden change of tactic, and they laughed together.  
  
* * *  
  
"Everything okay in here?" Ron asked, strolling into Ginny's room. Harry and Ginny looked up at his arrival and smiled.  
  
"I see you got the page," said Harry.  
  
Ron rolled his eyes. "Who wouldn't get a page in this building?" he asked. "Whoever does those announcements has got to have the loudest voice I have ever heard in my life!" Harry and Ginny laughed again.  
  
"Ron, do you know where Hermione is?" Harry asked, quickly changing the subject. "She was going to keep the kids for us, but she wasn't home."  
  
"My lovely wife is sitting in the waiting room with your children - and my own, I might mention," said Ron. "She was having lunch with me when you came in." Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Thank goodness," she said. "Though I expect mum to arrive any second. We called her just before we left, and she said she was just going to tell the family and then head over."  
  
"Are you off now, or do you need to head back to work?" Harry asked.  
  
"I'm working for a couple more hours," said Ron, "but I'll try to get out early. Of course, I'll stop up. You'll let me know when it's born?"  
  
"Of course," said Harry, and he and Ginny said their good-byes to Ron, who headed back to the waiting room to say good-bye to Hermione and the kids before heading back to work.  
  
* * *  
  
As it turned out, the newest family member seemed to want to wait for Uncle Ron to get off of work before making an appearance. Ron returned to the waiting room a few hours later, having changed from his work robes into regular clothes. He joined the large group of family that had now gathered. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting together, each of them with a grandchild in their lap (Mr. Weasley was bouncing Charlotte around while Mrs. Weasley was reading a book to Jack). Fred and Angelina had arrived, having left their children behind at home, and they were engaged in a game of Exploding Snap with Emma and James, with a fascinated Lily and Olivia looking on. Ron took a seat next to Hermione, who was watching her family with an amused smile on her face. He slid his hand into hers and squeezed it.  
  
"No news?" he asked.  
  
"No news," Hermione confirmed. She shifted so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. Jack slid off of Mrs. Weasley's lap and over to his parents. Ron gestured for the little boy to sit in his lap, and he climbed up and yawned.  
  
"Tired, buddy?" Ron asked him.  
  
"A little," said Jack, and he yawned again.  
  
"Why don't you rest, love?" Hermione said to him. "We'll wake you up when your new cousin arrives."  
  
"No," said Jack, seeming adamant to stay up, but Hermione could see his eyes drooping already. He rested his head of brown curls (for he was the only one of Ron and Hermione's children that seemed to inherit their mother's hair color, or so it seemed now that Charlotte was sporting the trademark red) on Ron's other shoulder, and was soon dozing.  
  
It was another hour before Harry showed up in the waiting room, and announced to the entire family that his second son had arrived.  
  
* * *  
  
Once James and Lily had a chance to meet their new baby brother, the rest of the family was allowed into the room. As was the Weasley family custom, they all gathered around the new baby to welcome him into the world. Ginny looked exhausted but elated, and she gingerly pulled back the blankets so that the family could see more of the baby.  
  
"Does he have a name yet?" Ron asked, looking down at his new nephew.  
  
Ginny nodded. "It's Daniel," she said. "Daniel Sirius Potter." 


	7. James Goes to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: You'll come across some familiar last names here (and a huge effort to look up names that were Irish, in honor of said character). I had to look back at Hogwarts Reunion many times to make sure it made sense, as far as ages go. Hope you enjoy it! (Oh, and for those who asked: Daniel got his name from Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter's onscreen counterpart, plus it's just a name I like. I trust the middle name needs no explanation!)  
  
Chapter Seven: James Goes to Hogwarts  
  
"Are you sure you're ready?" Ginny asked her son as they put the final items in his trunk.  
  
"I think so," said James.  
  
Ginny looked at her son and felt something tug at her heart. She couldn't believe that he was eleven years old already. He was leaving for Hogwarts today, ready to start his magical education. "Now, dad's going to take you to London so you can take the train with the other kids," Ginny explained. "I know it seems silly to do that, since we live down the road from the school, but you really shouldn't miss out on the experience of the Hogwarts Express. That's where your dad met your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, you know."  
  
"I know," said James. He had heard the story many times. He could recite it himself, and though he didn't want to admit it, he DID recite it to himself a lot, and he hoped that he would be lucky enough to make friends like his father did.  
  
"I can't believe you're old enough for Hogwarts," said Ginny, and she gazed at her son with a wistful look in her eye.  
  
"Mum!" James said, embarrassed under her stare. "I'm just going to school. I'll be back for Christmas. Besides, the school is, like a ten minute walk from here. You'll see me all the time. And I'm going to see dad everyday. Besides, you still have Lily and Daniel."  
  
"So you think your brother and sister are a replacement for you?" Ginny asked her son in disbelief.  
  
James laughed. "No," he said. "I just mean that they'll be here. And Daniel's a baby so you can't miss ME being a baby."  
  
"Oh, James," said Ginny, and she put an arm around her son. "I will ALWAYS miss you being a baby."  
  
"MUM!" James said again, and she squirmed out of her grasp and began putting some more items in his trunk.  
  
* * *  
  
In the excitement following Daniel's birth, the Potter family - including James himself - seemed to forget the milestone they expected would come their way at the beginning of the summer. When the letter from Hogwarts arrived addressed to James, however, everyone knew what it was. In fact, it was Lily who spotted it first, grabbing it from the pile and running through the house shouting for anyone who would listen. "JAMES GOT HIS LETTER! JAMES GOT HIS LETTER!"  
  
Ginny, who was putting three-month-old Daniel down for his nap at the time, left the room and grabbed the letter out of Lily's hands. "James! Harry! Come on!" she said, now as excited as the six-year-old girl hopping from foot-to-foot right next to her.  
  
James and Harry appeared in the hallway, and Ginny smiled at James. She ceremoniously handed her son the letter, beaming at him. "I believe this is for you, Mr. Potter."  
  
James took the letter from her, and turned it over, running a finger over the red Hogwarts seal. He looked up at his parents, and they nodded, encouraging him to open it. He put his hand to the seal and was about to open the envelope when -  
  
"Wait!" Ginny called out.  
  
"What?" James asked, feeling a sudden disappointment.  
  
Ginny didn't answer, but ran to the other room and came back with a sleeping Daniel on her shoulder. "I think the whole family should be here for this."  
  
James laughed nervously. "But, what if I don't -" He couldn't finish the question. Harry put a reassuring arm around his son.  
  
"James, there is no doubt in my mind that you have gotten in. However, if for some reason you don't, your mum and I will love you and be proud of you just the same," said Harry.  
  
"Of course," Ginny confirmed.  
  
"Open it! Open it!" This came from Lily, who was still hopping around, excited for her big brother.  
  
"Okay," said James, slowly, and he put his hand back to the seal and opened the envelope. He pulled the letter out and his eyes scanned the page. Ginny saw the corners of his mouth turn up, but when James looked at his parents, his face was stoic.  
  
"Well?" Harry asked after a moment.  
  
James looked back down at the letter. "Dear Mr. Potter," he read. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry `" It was all James was able to get out before the family cheered and hugged him.  
  
"We have to celebrate tonight!" Ginny exclaimed. "What do you want for dinner, James. I'll make you anything." She gestured for Harry to take Daniel from her, and he did so. "Come on, James, let's go downstairs and call Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, and grandma and grandpa, of course. They'll be SO excited." James followed his mother down the stairs, relieved and excited that his letter had finally come.  
  
* * *  
  
The month passed quickly, and James headed to London with his father to get on the train. He had said goodbye to his mother, sister and brother before he left, with the brief thought that the next time he saw Daniel the young baby would be much bigger, and may have reached a dozen milestones that he was not able to witness. Still, James was more excited to embark on this new journey of his life, and head to his parents' alma mater.  
  
At Platform 9 and ¾ Harry and James found Fred and Angelina, wishing their daughter Stacey good luck. She was heading off for her first year as well, and she and James immediately clung to each other so that they would have someone to sit with and talk to on the long train ride.  
  
As Harry and James, Harry said, "I'll see you tonight, buddy." To Stacey and James he said, "Remember, if you need anything, you can always find Phillip and Peter." Percy's children were the first of the Weasley grandchildren to make it to Hogwarts. Phillip, now fifteen and a fifth year, newly named prefect, doing Percy and Penelope proud. Peter was entering his second year at the top of his class. Both children had been the first in the Weasley lineage to end up in Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor, showing their mother's influence on them.  
  
"Okay, dad," said James, and with a wave to his father, he stepped on the train. Harry watched the train leave the station, feeling a bit nostalgic for his own Hogwarts days. Even though he returned to Hogwarts every day during the school year, being a teacher was a completely different world than being a student. Now he was forced to be the responsible one, and he did this well. He had wondered how things were going to be handled when his own family members stated attending Hogwarts. He was sure parents would complain that they would have an unfair advantage, being related to one of the teachers. However, the problem was solved for him when the popularity of Defense Against the Dark Arts sky rocketed, and the school ended up hiring a second professor for the subject, something that hadn't happened ever before (Harry checked with Hermione, the resident expert on "Hogwarts: A History"). Harry ended up as the N.E.W.T.-level teacher, while the other professor took care of those at O.W.L.-level. He wouldn't even have to worry about teaching James until AFTER he had taken his O.W.L.'s, by which time it would be clear that James was no slacker when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts, having observed his father for years.  
  
"How does it feel Harry?" Fred asked, clapping on hand on his brother-in- law's shoulder. "Having a son in Hogwarts already?"  
  
"It's strange," said Harry.  
  
"I know what you mean," said Fred. "Can't believe they're all grown up, but its happening."  
  
"It makes me feel very old, if you want my opinion," said Angelina. Harry smiled.  
  
"Yeah," he agreed, and the three adults walked out of the station together.  
  
* * *  
  
"What house do you think you'll be in James?" Stacey asked as the train sped along. They were sitting in a compartment together, looking out the window, and talking about their apprehensions about arriving at Hogwarts.  
  
"I don't know," said James. "But I hope its Gryffindor. Dad and Mum were both in it."  
  
"Mine too," said Stacey. "I want to be in Gryffindor too. At least we'd know each other."  
  
"Yeah," James agreed, happy to have one of his cousins around, as it would still be two years before Emma joined him at Hogwarts.  
  
A commotion in the corridor made them both turn and look. They turned their heads just in time to see a young boy run by. Curious, James and Stacey poked their heads out of the door and watched the boy run to the end of the car, and then run back, before spotting them. "Can I hide in here?" he asked.  
  
"Sure," said James right away, and he moved out of the boy's way. When he was sitting, James and Stacey looked at him. The boy looked back at them, but said nothing.  
  
James was the first to speak. "What are you hiding from?" he asked the boy.  
  
"What?" the boy asked, sheepishly. He looked up and his eyes shifted from James to Stacey and back to James. "Oh, my sister Cassidy. She's a fourth year. She wanted to hex me."  
  
"Well, you're welcome to stay here," said Stacey, and she took a seat across from the boy. James did as well, and extended his hand.  
  
"Hi," he said. "I'm James Potter. This is my cousin, Stacey Weasley."  
  
"Hi," the boy said back. "My name's Aidan. Aidan Finnegan."  
  
"It's nice to meet you," James said, and the shook hands. "Any idea what house you'll be in?"  
  
"Nah," said Aidan. "My sister's in Ravenclaw, like my mam was, but dad thinks I'm better suited for Gryffindor."  
  
As the train ride continued, James, Stacey and Aidan got to know each other a little better. Aidan was the second of six children, and his parents had been thrilled when he got his Hogwarts letter. "They were really looking forward to me coming," Aidan said. "My little sister Eileen is really jealous though. She can't wait to come to Hogwarts, but she's only seven."  
  
"My sister's six," James said, "and she wants to come too."  
  
"Everything all right in here?" came an older voice from the compartment door. James, Aidan and Stacey looked to see Phillip Weasley standing there.  
  
"Hi Phil!" Stacey exclaimed. "We're okay!"  
  
"Not causing any mischief, I trust?" Phillip asked, looking at them suspiciously.  
  
"Phillip, we were just talking," Stacey said. "Does it LOOK like we're causing any mischief?"  
  
Phillip still eyes them suspiciously, but he was forced to admit that it didn't look like the children were doing anything wrong. "Keep it up," he said, and he headed back down the corridor.  
  
"Who's that?" Aidan asked.  
  
"That's our other cousin, Phillip," James exclaimed. "He's a perfect." As he said the word, James rolled his eyes, causing Aidan to laugh.  
  
"I hope we get there soon," said Stacey. "I'm starving!"  
  
* * *  
  
Stacey's wish was granted a mere two hours later, when the three children stepped off the train and moved towards Hagrid's booming voice. "Firs' years, this way!"  
  
"Come one!" he said, and Stacey immediately followed. Aidan seemed awed by Hagrid's size. "It's okay," James assured him. "Hagrid's REALLY nice." It seemed enough for Aidan to hear this from his newfound friend, and he followed James and Stacey and they all got into a boat together for their trek across the lake.  
  
Once inside the castle, they met up with Harry. James pointed him out to Aidan before they followed him in for the Sorting Ceremony.  
  
"Now," said Harry when all the first years were gathered before him. "When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and have the Sorting Hat placed on your head. It will tell you which house you will be in."  
  
James, Stacey and Aidan had to wait for many first years to go ahead of them before they heard Harry call out, "Aidan Finnegan!" Aidan took a deep breath and walked up to the stool. The hat was placed on his head, and he waited. The hat seemed to be having a tough time with Aidan, saying nothing for a full three minutes.  
  
Finally, it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Aidan smiled, waved at James and Stacey, and headed off to the Gryffindor table, where he was greeted by the older children. He sat with the four others who had been accepted into Gryffindor that evening so far.  
  
A waiting game ensued again, but finally it was James' turn. "James Potter!" Harry called out, trying to sound casual, but really he was as nervous about this particular sorting as his son was. James smiled weakly at his father as he approached the stool and had the hat placed on his head. They hardly had to wait before the hat called out his fate, "GRYFFINDOR!" Now it was James' turn to beam, and he looked at his father again before sitting next to Aidan at the Gryffindor table.  
  
Stacey's turn finally came, nearly last, and she proudly sat on the stool, waiting her turn. The hat burst again: "GRYFFINDOR!" Stacey applauded, along with the rest of the students at the Gryffindor table, and she sat with her cousin and new friend. They all listened intently as Professor McGonagall made the opening announcement, and then dug in hungrily when the feast appeared.  
  
* * *  
  
James was pleased to say that his first week of classes went very well. He found himself busy with homework, but he was also busy making new friends and preparing for Quidditch tryouts. He had not been allowed to bring the broomstick his parents had given him for Christmas the previous December, but he did well enough by using the school broomsticks. He even showed Aidan who, though he lived in the wizarding world, was not as up on Quidditch as one might expect. Still, Aidan took to flying right away, and they enjoyed throwing the Quaffle back and forth to one another, and trying to block each other from getting it into the hoops.  
  
Though they still spoke to Stacey during classes and in the evenings in the common room, she had branched out and made friends with the other girls in her dormitory, and they were often seen apart. Even so, it was still comforting for James to know that his cousin was so close by. They often wrote home together, just to save time.  
  
Classes were a little more difficult than James had first anticipated, but he soon fell into a groove. He did his homework fairly regularly and he was making good grades. The only problem he was having was running into Harry just one too many times. He had always understood that his father was going to be at Hogwarts when he arrived, but the presence of a family member so close made him a little wary sometimes. He wanted to fit in just as all the other children did, and none of them had parents who worked at Hogwarts.  
  
Still, on the plus side, having a father who worked at the school was often good for some perks. On occasion, he and Aidan would spend hours in Harry's office, helping him with all the Defense Against the Dark Arts contraptions and observing the many creatures kept around the office.  
  
"So tell me," Harry said to Aidan one day in October. "Can I assume that you're related to Seamus Finnegan?"  
  
"He's my dad," said Aidan with a smile. "He told me he knew you when he was at Hogwarts."  
  
"Yeah," said Harry. "We were in the same year, both in Gryffindor. You know, I saw your father at our reunion a few years ago. He had to rush out when your mother sent him an owl."  
  
"Uh-huh," said Aidan, remembering it. "That was the night my little sister Kerry was born. She's five now. A real pain."  
  
"So's my sister," James added, and Harry gave him a stern look. "What?" James said to him. "She is. She's always going through my stuff." Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Hey! You better make sure she stays out of my room while I'm here!"  
  
Harry laughed. "I can't make any promises, buddy," he said. "But I'll do my best to keep her out." He turned his attention back to Aidan. "Now, I know your older sister, but you have other brothers and sisters, don't you?"  
  
"Yup!" said Aidan. "There's Cassidy before me, like you said, then me, Devin, Taggart, Eileen and Kerry's the baby."  
  
"How are your mum and dad these days?" Harry asked.  
  
"They're okay," said Aidan. "Dad works in Magical Law. I'm sure he'd be happy to represent you for free if you needed him to."  
  
"I'll remember that," said Harry with a laugh.  
  
"Aidan, we better be getting back to the common room," James said. "Are you going home soon, dad?"  
  
"In a little bit," said Harry.  
  
"Say hi to mum!" said James, and with a wave to his father, he and Aidan were out of the office and heading back to the common room.  
  
* * *  
  
A few days later, both James and Aidan waited nervously for their turns to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. There were Seeker and Beater spots open, and each was hoping to fill one. James had practiced the position of Seeker a lot with his father, and he was fairly confident that he could put on a good show for the existing team members. Still, he knew that they were all older and more experienced than he was, and that was what made him apprehensive.  
  
When it was his turn, James mounted his broomstick and flew a few laps around the players. He was searching for the Snitch. It took only a few moments for him to spot it, and he zoomed towards it, looping quickly and easily through the other players. He grabbed the Snitch and held it triumphantly in his hands. The team Captain, Diana Welsh, looked at him, impressed before asking him to sit down in the stands while the other people tried out.  
  
"That was brilliant, James!" Aidan exclaimed. "I think you have a really good chance."  
  
"Aidan Finnegan!" called Diana, interrupting the comment James was about to make.  
  
"Good luck!" James called out, as a white faced Aidan stood and headed out to the field.  
  
It was soon clear that Aidan Finnegan was a forced to be reckoned with when it came to bludgers. Though his actual playing experience was small in comparison to the other people who were trying out, he clearly understood what the purpose of a Beater was, and he used these skills to know the bludgers far away from the players. James clapped along with the others watching when he sent one flying through one of the hoops at the other end of the field. When he rejoined James, his former sheet white face was now blushed with red. The friends gave each other a high five, and continued to watch the other players.  
  
* * *  
  
"Okay!" Diana called out when the final player had finished showing her skills. "We've seen a lot of talent here today, and if we could take all of you, we certainly would!" Some people in the crowd beamed at this statement. "However, as you know, there are only two spots open on the team right now, and we saw two players today who seem above and beyond the standard that the Gryffindor House Team is used to. So without further ado, I thank all of you for coming out, and I am pleased to inform you that our new beater is Aidan Finnegan and our new seeker is James Potter!"  
  
The decision was met with some groans, but in general the other people who had tried out were good sports and they applauded James and Aidan. In recent years, it had not become uncommon for the house teams to include first years, and so it was not as big of a deal as it had been when Harry had gotten onto the Gryffindor team his first year.  
  
Diana continued. "You're all welcome to stay and watch the practice. James, Aidan, I'd like you to head into the locker room, where you'll find robes for yourselves, and then head back out here, and we'll start talking strategy." The boys nodded, and made to move past her. She stopped Aidan, and held out her hand in welcome. Aidan smiled and then headed into the locker room. Diana then turned to James.  
  
"Welcome to the team, James," said Diana, and she shook his hand.  
  
"Thank you." James smiled. The year was shaping up brilliantly. 


	8. A Weasley Family Christmas

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: Just in time for the holidays! (And I fixed a type in which I said Charlie and Dawn also had a son named Jack - his name is actually Owen!)  
  
Chapter Eight: A Weasley Family Christmas  
  
Hermione and Ron were busy getting the children ready to head for the Burrow. Emma was dressed and ready to go, watching a movie so as not to get anything on her red velvet party dress. Ron was struggling with Jack, trying to get him to wear the dressy pants Hermione had bought for him earlier in the week, but the four-year-old seemed determined to wear his usual jeans. Hermione listened to their conversations from Charlotte's bedroom, where she was dressing the one-year-old in her best dress and trying to tie a matching bow in her small curls. Olivia was watching the process, and trying to be a help to her mother.  
  
"What are you going to wear mummy?" the little girl asked when it appeared that Charlotte was ready.  
  
Hermione smiled at Olivia. "I don't know yet," she said. "I've just been thinking about my girls today."  
  
"You have to wear something pretty," Olivia said. It was not a suggestion, but a statement of fact.  
  
"You might need to help me figure something out," Hermione said, and she finished up with Charlotte and placed the little girl on the floor, and she toddled out of the room, still a little unsteady on the feet she had only been walking on for three months.  
  
"Ron! Charlie's coming your way!" Hermione called out.  
  
"Got her!" Ron called back from Jack's room, and Hermione turned her attention back to Olivia.  
  
"Why don't we go in my room and pick something out together?" she asked. Olivia smiled and without a word jumped off the bed and ran to her parents' bedroom. When Hermione entered the room moments later, she could see Olivia scrutinizing the items in the closet, looking for something suitable. Being small, she moved into the closet and started searching the recesses of it before tugging on a piece of plastic and pulling it towards her.  
  
"This one," she said adamantly, and Hermione walked to the closet to see what she had.  
  
"Olivia," she said, "that's my wedding dress."  
  
"So? It's pretty."  
  
"Don't you think it's a little too fancy?" Hermione asked. Olivia shook her head.  
  
"I've never seen you wear it," Olivia said.  
  
"That's because I only wore it the one time," said Hermione. "When your daddy and I got married. And that was a long time ago. This dress, even if I wanted to wear it, probably doesn't even fit me anymore. Sorry, Livvie, looks like you'll have to pick something else."  
  
Olivia sighed in defeat and began sifting through the clothes again. "This one then," she said, and this time she had her hands on a plain black dress.  
  
"That one is much better," said Hermione, and she pulled the dress out. "Now, why don't you head downstairs with your sister, and watch the movie, and your dad and I will be down soon."  
  
"Okay," said Olivia and she headed out of the room. She was met in the hallway by Jack, finally in the outfit Hermione had laid out for him and they headed down the stairs together to join Emma in the living room. Hermione quickly changed from her pajamas to the dress, and stood in front of a mirror to fix her hair.  
  
As she was sifting through her jewelry box, looking for a suitable necklace, Ron entered the room, Charlotte on one arm. He let the little girl go, and he walked over to Hermione, pulling something from his pocket. "I think this would look very nice for today," he said as he reached around her and clasped a necklace around her neck.  
  
"Ron, it's beautiful," said Hermione, looking down at the gift. "Thank you."  
  
"Happy Christmas," he said, and he kissed her cheek.  
  
She smiled. "Are you ready to go?" she asked. "The kids are all dressed?"  
  
"Miraculously so, it seems," said Ron. "Even this one here." He gestured towards Charlotte, who was now standing by his feet. He picked her up.  
  
"What do you say, Charlie-girl? You ready to go to grandma and grandpa's house?" he asked. Charlotte laughed, and nodded.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione, Ron, and the children arrived at the Burrow a short while later to see that they certainly weren't the first to arrive. Harry and Ginny, it seemed, had stayed overnight, and while Harry and Mr. Weasley kept the children occupied, Ginny was helping Mrs. Weasley prepare the massive feast they would need when all seven Weasley children - and their families - were under one roof again.  
  
James and Lily were in the living room with their grandfather, James teaching Lily the fine art of wizard chess. Emma immediately joined them, taking over James' spot, for she had learned how to play wizard chess from one of the pros - her father. Olivia took a seat next to Lily and together they tried to work out a strategy. It was always quite a show when Emma and Olivia were against each other playing wizard chess. Each of them had learned their strategies from Ron, and therefore were equals when it game to dueling each other.  
  
Mrs. Weasley greeted Ron and Hermione, and she was shortly followed by Mr. Weasley, Ginny and Harry. "Happy Christmas," the group wishes to one another as they exchanged hugs.  
  
"You can put those right under the tree, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, gesturing to the bag of presents Ron was carrying. "And Arthur, dear, do make sure the children don't go through them before it's time."  
  
"Sure thing," said Mr. Weasley, but Ron was sure he would let the children sneak a peek at their gifts, just as he had done many years earlier.  
  
"Where's Daniel?" Hermione asked Ginny, inquiring after the 8-month-old.  
  
"Sound asleep," said Ginny. "All day, it seems. He hasn't been feeling well. Shame it has to be on his first Christmas."  
  
"Please, please, make yourselves at home," said Mrs. Weasley. "Sit down, have something to drink."  
  
Ron and Harry each grabbed a butterbeer and took Jack and Charlotte into the living room with the other children. "How're you doing James?" Ron asked the boy as they sat down. "How's school?"  
  
"Great!" said James.  
  
"I heard you made the Quidditch team," said Ron.  
  
"Yup!" said James, happily. "Seeker, just like dad! And my friend Aidan was made a beater."  
  
"I trust you're not getting yourself into any trouble," Ron said, in a voice of mock seriously that made James laugh.  
  
"Not TOO much," he said.  
  
"I suppose you can't," he said. "Not with this guy on your back all the time." He gestured to Harry, and James laughed again.  
  
"Hey!" Harry exclaimed. "I am not on his back all the time!"  
  
"Yeah," said James. "Look what he gave me." James produced a piece of parchment from his pocket, and showed it to Ron. He recognized it immediately.  
  
"The good ole Marauder's Map," said Ron. "That came in handy for us many times."  
  
"I know," said James. "Dad told me." He turned back to the chess game, where Emma's knight was now engaged in battle with Olivia's rook.  
  
"Do me a favor," Harry said to Ron, "and don't mention that to Ginny." Ron nodded, a smile on his face as he thought of what Hermione would say if she knew that Harry had given James all of his old tools for causing mischief.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hello all!" a friendly voice called, and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Hermione looked up from their food preparing stations to see that Fred and Angelina had arrived. With them was Stacey, along with their two other children: Brian, who was nine years old, and Michael, who was six.  
  
"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed happily, and she hugged her son before moving on to Angelina and the children.  
  
"What are we, chopped liver?" came a similar voice, and from behind Fred and Angelina appeared George and Katie, along with nine-year-old Matthew and six-year-old Chelsea. Mrs. Weasley spent the next few minutes gathering her various family members in her arms and telling them how happy she was to see them.  
  
Fred and George took their children into the living room and cousins started to branch out into their various cliques. James, Stacey, Matthew, Emma and Brian took full control of the chess board, while Lily, Olivia, Chelsea and Michael began picking up and shaking the numerous presents that were underneath the tree, looking for the ones specifically for themselves. Jack seemed content to look at a book by himself, and Charlotte stayed in her father's lap, smiling whenever one of her uncles would try to play a trick on her.  
  
"That kid is just too smart, Ron," said Fred, when his last attempt to trick the 16-month-old failed. "What good are tricks when there are kids like that?"  
  
"She's right, to be wary of you," said Ron, and he gestured for Charlotte to give him a high five, and she obliged.  
  
Just minutes after George had arrived, Percy and Penelope came in, with Peter and Phillip at the rear. Penelope stayed in the kitchen while Percy and the boys headed for the living room. Peter joined James and his other older cousins, while Phillip preferred the adults' company.  
  
"So, Phil, breaking any hearts at Hogwarts yet?" George asked his nephew, to which the boy blushed beet red. Both of Percy's children had definitely inherited the Weasley complexion, hair and all.  
  
"Breaking hearts?" Fred asked. "I would think Phil's got an example to set, now that he's a prefect." Percy eyed Fred and George, warning them with his eyes that it was one thing to tease him about being a prefect, but quite another to tease his son.  
  
"We're not teasing him, Perce," said Fred. "We're just wondering if he's keeping the halls of Hogwarts safe."  
  
"I try, but sometimes it's hard to keep some children from wandering the halls at night," said Phillip, and he cast a glance towards James and Stacey.  
  
"Well," said Fred. "There is something to be said that since we left, Hogwarts has not seen two such troublemakers."  
  
"There are plenty of troublemakers," said Phillip.  
  
"But none have ever come close to pulling a Weasley, like these two did in their last year," said Harry, remembering when Fred and George had stormed away from Hogwarts. He listened as the discussion shifted to the Quidditch teams, at which James joined in, telling them of his victory over Slytherin house.  
  
* * *  
  
In the next hour, the rest of the family arrived. Bill and Fleur came first, with five-year-old Sarah, who immediately ran into the room to join Jack. Finally, Charlie and Dawn arrived, and with them were seven year old Milo and four year old Owen. The children joined their cousins, and Charlie and Bill joined in the conversation, which was still mostly about Quidditch.  
  
"They could go on all day about that subject," said Mrs. Weasley as she pointed her wand at the stove to turn it on, boiling potatoes.  
  
"Probably because they never get to talk about it at home," said Dawn.  
  
"No," said Angelina. "Fred and I talk about Quidditch all the time. As do the children."  
  
"George and I too," said Katie.  
  
"You have the advantage of being former players though," said Hermione. "I watched the game for years at Hogwarts, and when Harry was playing, but I can't hold up a conversation with Ron about it."  
  
"Yeah!" said Ginny, with a laugh. "He still makes fun of her for calling Viktor Krum's Wronski Feint a 'Wonky Faint!""  
  
"I do not STILL call it that!" Hermione exclaimed in her defense.  
  
"Probably because you don't talk about it," said Ginny. She looked at her other sisters-in-law to explain. "Ron still gets red in the face whenever Viktor Krum's name is mentioned, even in passing."  
  
"You'd think after being together for seventeen years - and married for fourteen of those years, mind you - that he'd stop worrying it about it," said Hermione, but she said this with a small smile, for the fact that Ron still got insanely jealous about someone he never needed to be jealous of made he know how much he loved her.  
  
The women laughed. "Bill has that jealous nature as well," said Fleur, whose English had improved greatly due to her large amounts of time spent in England. "He still gets sensitive if I mention and old beau."  
  
"It's such a silly insecurity," Dawn added.  
  
"Mummy?" came a voice, and the women looked to see Lily standing in the kitchen, Olivia behind her.  
  
"What is it, sweetie?" Ginny asked.  
  
"We want to help you," said Lily.  
  
"Of course you can help us!" Mrs. Weasley said, happily. "Let's see, what can you girls do?" She looked around the kitchen and finally had Lily and Olivia sit down and work on some cookies.  
  
"I can't believe that James and Stacey are in Hogwarts now," said Penelope. "It seems like only yesterday that Phillip started."  
  
"I remember," said Ginny. "Everyone was so excited."  
  
"How's James doing?" Angelina asked. "From what Stacey tells me, they're both having a wonderful time."  
  
"He is," said Ginny, proudly. "He's making friends, he's on the Quidditch team, and he gets decent grades. But it sure is lonely around the house without him."  
  
Mrs. Weasley put her arm around Ginny. "Now you know how I felt, dear," she said. "Even though I had more of you at home to take care of, you didn't replace the one that was missing." She paused. "And speaking of your other children, I believe I hear Daniel crying."  
  
"I think you're right," Ginny said, straining her ears. "I'll be right back." Ginny headed up the stairs. Mrs. Weasley turned back to her daughters-in-law.  
  
"Okay now," she said. "I think I've got everything just about under control. I have my two junior helpers now, so I want all of you - and DO NOT argue with me - to join your families in there." She pointed to the living room. "Dinner will be in an hour."  
  
The women did not protest, and they headed into the living room, and found seats wherever they could get them. Hermione ended up on the arm of the chair Ron was sitting in. "Mummy!" Charlotte exclaimed, and she reached for Hermione, who took her. Ginny came down, Daniel in her arms, and took a seat on the floor by Harry's chair.  
  
"Here's the stranger," she said to the family members around her, and she placed Daniel in her lap so that he was looking out at his family. Emma came running over, and knelt before Ginny.  
  
"Hi Danny!" she exclaimed. She was always excited about the new babies in her family, as long as they weren't her brothers or sisters. It wasn't that she didn't like to play with Charlotte, it was simply that the novelty of having her around all the time had worn off quickly, and even though she saw Daniel almost every day, she still liked to play with him whenever she could. Daniel smiled at her immediately, having quickly learned that this was the cousin who would give him the most attention.  
  
The large family group continued to talk to each other as the hour passed. "I'm starving!" Fred suddenly announced. "When's dinner?"  
  
As though he had said the magic words, Mrs. Weasley entered the living room and announced that dinner was on the table. The enormous family group headed into the kitchen, which Mr. Weasley had managed to expand for the occasion and sat down at the long table, now slightly reminiscent of a Hogwarts house table as it now held so many people. The feast on the table also resembled one that was fit for Hogwarts, with all their favorite foods. The family eagerly dug in.  
  
"You've outdone yourself, Molly," said Hermione as she took in all the wonderful food.  
  
"It's my pleasure," said Mrs. Weasley, and from her place at the head of the table she beamed down at her family. They were sitting in small groups of their own families, husband and wives next to each other, spooning food out onto the younger children's plates. Ron and Hermione were unsuccessfully trying to get Jack to eat the broccoli they had put on his plate, but the four-year-old just kept shaking his head in defiance. Finally, his parents shrugged, apparently deciding not to worry about it for the time being.  
  
Charlie and Dawn were watching their son Milo as he piled tons of food on his plate. "Quite an appetite you have there," Charlie said to him, and the boy smiled at his father.  
  
"I just want to try EVERYTHING!" he exclaimed as he spooned himself some more sweet potatoes.  
  
Mr. Weasley stood at the other end of the table, causing the family to look over at him immediately. "I know some of you have started eating already," he began. "But I just wanted to take a moment and say a few words."  
  
The family put down their forks and eagerly awaited Mr. Weasley's next words. "As you know, your mum and I love it when you're all here together. It reminds us so much of when you children were younger. And I can't tell you how good it feels to see all our sons - and our daughter - so happy with his or her own family now."  
  
"Hear, hear," said Molly from her side of the table.  
  
Arthur smiled at her before he continued. "I hope that you will all continue to be as happy as you are now, and I wish each and every one of you the happiest of Christmases."  
  
"And to you!" George called out, and the family raised their glasses in a toast.  
  
* * *  
  
"Who's ready for presents?" Mrs. Weasley asked once all the dishes were cleared from the table.  
  
"ME!" came a chorus of small voices, mostly from the children (though Mrs. Weasley was sure she heard Fred and George in there somewhere as well).  
  
"Well, come on then!" she exclaimed, and she took Daniel from Ginny and headed into the living room.  
  
"We'd better supervise," said Hermione, and she lifted Charlotte from her high chair and carried her in after the rest of the children. Ron, Ginny and Harry followed.  
  
"Okay now," Mrs. Weasley was saying to the group of children sitting in front of her. "I want you all to make sure you have a present in front of you. And, Brian, make sure that present has your name on it!"  
  
Brian giggled and moved the present from his lap, taking one that really belonged to him. Mrs. Weasley gave him a stern look. "Now, Brian, more tricks like that and you'll spoil everyone else's fun!"  
  
"Yeah, Brian!" came the voice of Stacey, exercising her big sister nagging rights. She looked at Mrs. Weasley. "I'll make sure he only opens his own presents, grandma."  
  
"Thank you Stacey," said Mrs. Weasley, with a small smile in her direction, and she turned to Hermione. "Now, I'll help Daniel if you'll help Charlotte."  
  
"Mum, believe me, little Charlie here is perfectly capable of ripping wrapping paper all by herself," Ron said. "Aren't you?" Charlotte nodded.  
  
"Okay then," said Mrs. Weasley. "Are you all ready?" The children let out a chorus of 'yesses.' Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Then open up!" she called out, and for a moment the only sound that could be heard was that of eager children ripping into wrapping paper. The rest of the adults were starting to drift in by now, and they were just in time to see what their children had been given for Christmas.  
  
"Wow!" James called out. "A  
  
"Look, mummy! I got my own 'Hogwarts: A History!'" Emma called out to Hermione. "It's the latest edition!" She ran over to her mother. "Can we read it tonight? Please?"  
  
"We'll see when we get home," said Hermione.  
  
* * *  
  
Ron and Hermione entered their dark house, exhausted. The children showed signs of exhaustion too. Emma and Olivia were walking slowly along down the hallway. "Turn on the light, mummy," Olivia managed to murmur between yawns.  
  
Hermione obliged, and the girls continued to walk until they reached the stairs. "Go on up, girls," said Ron when they paused. "We'll be right behind you." Emma and Olivia slowly took the steps. Ron turned to Hermione, who was holding a sleeping Charlotte.  
  
"Let's get these two upstairs as well," said Ron, gesturing to Jack, who was sleeping on his own shoulder. Hermione smiled and headed up the stairs, Ron just behind her. They could hear Emma and Olivia in their bedrooms, each getting their pajamas on and presumably climbing under the covers. Ron placed Jack and Charlotte in their respective bedrooms, whispered their good-nights to them, and then met back in the hallway.  
  
"Shall I see Emma first, or Olivia?" Ron asked.  
  
"Emma," said Hermione, and she opened Olivia's bedroom door, while Ron headed for Emma's.  
  
The nine-year-old was sitting up in her bed, looking through her new book and wearing her newly acquired Weasley sweater. "Is that your favorite present?" he asked her as he walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. Emma nodded eagerly.  
  
"But the other stuff's good too," she said.  
  
"Good," said Ron. "It was a good Christmas then?"  
  
"Yup!" she exclaimed. "And the best part is, our birthday is only two months away now!"  
  
"That's right," said Ron. "And what should we do this year?"  
  
Emma scrunched up her nose in thought. Over the past couple of years, she had deemed it tradition that she and Ron do something special together since they shared the same birthday. "Can we see a Quidditch game?" she asked. It was, inevitably, what they did every year, even though they always tried to think of something else to do.  
  
"I think that can be arranged," said Ron, and Emma smiled.  
  
"Good night," she said to him.  
  
"Night, love," he said. He placed a kiss on her cheek and she hugged him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Don't stay up too long reading, okay?"  
  
"I won't," said Emma. "Love you dad!"  
  
"Love you too," said Ron, and he headed for the door.  
  
* * *  
  
"Did you have fun at grandma and grandpa's house, Livvie?" Hermione asked Olivia as she placed the covers over the six-year-old, just the way she liked them.  
  
"Yes," she said. "Christmas is my favorite holiday."  
  
"I know," said Hermione. "I'm glad you had fun."  
  
Olivia opened her mouth to say something, but instead let out a huge lawn. Hermione laughed softly. "Tired, love?" she asked. Olivia just nodded. "Okay, then, you get to sleep. Sweet dreams, and I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Hermione kissed Olivia's forehead and headed to the door. Ron was standing just outside of it. "You better hurry," she said to him. "She's dozing fast." With a smile to his wife, Ron headed into his daughter's room.  
  
* * *  
  
"Daddy, can we play chess tomorrow?" Olivia asked, when Ron was seated near her bed. She was keen to play, as she had gotten her own set of chessmen at the holiday celebration.  
  
"Of course," said Ron.  
  
"You don't have to work?" she asked, with another yawn.  
  
"Nope!" said Ron.  
  
Olivia smiled. "Good," she said, and her eyes started to droop. She opened them again. "I need my doll."  
  
Ron turned and reached over to her shelf, where her Quidditch doll lay. It wasn't any recognizable player, as far as Ron could tell, but simply a generic version of all players wrapped up into one. It had been Olivia's favorite toy since she had gotten it for her second birthday, and she never went to sleep without it. As soon as Ron handed it to her, she tucked it under her chin, rolled over in bed, and let her eyes close, heavy with sleep.  
  
"Night daddy," she murmured.  
  
"Night, love," said Ron, and he headed for the door, shutting it softly behind him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Can we read now?" Emma asked as soon as Hermione entered the room.  
  
"Don't you think it's a little late?" Hermione asked, as she took the seat that Ron had occupied moments earlier.  
  
"It's never too late to read, mum!" Emma exclaimed.  
  
Hermione smiled. "I suppose you're right," said Hermione. "But I'm pretty tired, so not too much tonight."  
  
"Okay," said Emma, with a resigned sigh. "But you have to make sure Charlotte and Jack don't rip the pages."  
  
"I will," said Hermione softly, and she took the book from Emma's hands and opened it to the first page. "Ready?" she asked. Emma smiled at her and nodded. "Okay, then." Hermione began to read. She was three paragraphs into the book when she heard Emma's breathing pattern change, signaling that the child had fallen asleep. She pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her cheek. "Good-night, Em," she said, and she put the book on the bedside table, switched off the lamp and made her way to her own bedroom.  
  
* * *  
  
Ron was in the bathroom, presumably brushing his teeth when Hermione entered the bedroom. She quickly changed out of her dress and into pajamas, and was situated in bed, reading a book, when Ron came in.  
  
"You can't honestly say you're going to read," he said to her.  
  
She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean," said Ron, and he climbed into bed next to her, "that for the first time in weeks, all of our children are sleeping. At the same time."  
  
Hermione smiled. "And why would that matter?" she asked in mock innocence.  
  
"It matters," said Ron, and he kissed her before continuing, "because we can spend some quality time together." Hermione now kissed him, and turned off the light beside the bed, making the room go dark.  
  
"Happy Christmas," she said to Ron.  
  
"Happy Christmas," he repeated, just before he kissed her again. 


	9. A Day in the Life of Jack Weasley

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: I know it's been a long time since my last update! My apologies! Work and Christmas preparations have kept me quite without computer time! However, with vacation here, I hope to get out a couple chapters for you!  
  
Chapter Nine: A Day in the Life of Jack Weasley  
  
Jack Weasley lay on a blanket in his backyard, looking up at the white fluffy clouds. Around him, he could hear the rest of his family talking and running around, getting ready for a picnic.  
  
Despite the fact that Jack was the only boy out of four children, he considered himself a pretty happy five-year-old. He may have been outnumbered by three sisters, but his parents never made him feel as though he wasn't part of the crowd. His father took him out on outings once a week, so they could have their "man time," as Hermione called it. Sometimes, if they could, they caught up with Harry and James at Hogwarts and spent the afternoon practicing Quidditch. This then became something Jack could make his older sisters jealous with when he got back home.  
  
Jack led the typical life of a five-year-old boy during the summer months. He slept late in the mornings, and fell into bed at what seemed so much later than normal, when in reality it was really just an hour past his usual bedtime. He spent his days running around the backyard, usually with his sisters or one of the creatures he happened to come across back there.  
  
"What are you doing, Jack?" came a sudden voice to his left, and Jack turned his head to see that his oldest sister, ten-year-old Emma, had joined him on the blanket and was looking up at the sky.  
  
"Watching clouds," Jack said simply. He pointed. "See, that one's an apple."  
  
"I don't know, Jack," Emma said, squinting. "It looks more like a peach to me."  
  
"Apples and peaches look the same," came a third voice, this time to Jack's right, and he saw seven-year-old Olivia had also joined them. "I think it looks like a Quaffle."  
  
"You would," said Emma, referring to Olivia's very obvious obsession with Quidditch (in fact, she was wearing a Chudley Canons t-shirt - her favorite - that had been a gift from her father).  
  
Suddenly, Jack heard giggling near his feet and he moved his foot quickly as he felt two-year-old Charlotte's hand come in contact with his toes, tickling them. "Charlie!" he exclaimed, laughing. "That tickles."  
  
"Tickle Jack!" Charlotte exclaimed, and she clapped her hands, laughing. She had been in an excellent mood the past few days (not that she wasn't a good-natured toddler anyway) because of her recent birthday celebration. She turned her head. "Mummy! Tickle Jack!"  
  
"I think I can take care of that!" came the voice of the other man in the house, and Ron descended upon the area where his children were lounging, and tickled Jack in the ribs, purposely misinterpreting Charlotte's words.  
  
"Dad!" the boy squealed as he tried to wiggle his way out of his father's grasp. "Dad! She meant SHE tickled me! Not you!" His words came in gasps as he tried to catch his breath.  
  
"I know what she meant!" Ron exclaimed, continued to send Jack into fits of laughter. "I just thought you needed a laugh!"  
  
"Stop!" Jack exclaimed, even though he was still laughing furiously. He managed to point a finger towards Olivia. "Tickle HER!"  
  
Another laugh joined the group as Ron stretched out his hand and did as Jack said. "Hermione!" he called out. "I could use a hand here!" Hermione looked over at her family, two of the children rolling on the ground with laughter, and the other (non-tickle participants) laughing in spite of themselves, and she joined the group.  
  
"Come on, Ron, you're going to make them throw up," she said, but she was only half-serious, relishing her children's laughter.  
  
Ron stopped tickling Jack and Olivia. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" he said. "I certainly don't want to clean THAT up."  
  
Hermione reached for Charlotte, who seemed ready to toddle away and pulled her into her lap. "Did you start all this, Charlotte?" she asked, and Charlotte giggled.  
  
"She did!" Jack exclaimed, still smiling.  
  
"Can we eat now?" Olivia suddenly asked.  
  
"Sure thing," said Hermione, and she pointed her wand towards the house and summoned the food towards them. It landed gently on the blanket, shortly followed by the plates and silverware.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that evening, Jack was sitting in the living room, looking at a book, when it was suddenly knocked out of his hands. He looked up to see Charlotte standing next to him. "Charlie!" he exclaimed. "I was reading that!"  
  
Charlotte smiled at her brother, and picked up the book. "Read it?" she asked, and she handed him the book.  
  
"I don't know all the words," said Jack. He was just learning how to read, and he was able to make out some words, but not all of them.  
  
"Read it," Charlotte said again, now as a statement and not a question.  
  
"I guess I could try," said Jack. "Sit down." He patted the floor next to him, and Charlotte sat down, and leaned on his leg to look at the book.  
  
"Okay," said Jack, and he opened to the first page. "Once upon a time, there was a big troll. He lived in the land of - I don't know this word - of Elevators!" Charlotte laughed, and Jack smiled. He continued to read, though he stopped reading the words and began telling his own made up story about the Land of Elevators, making Charlotte giggle.  
  
"Read it?" she asked when he had closed the book and pronounced that they had reached the end.  
  
"Again?" Jack asked in disbelief.  
  
"Again!" Charlotte confirmed.  
  
"I don't know if I can remember it," Jack said. "Okay, I'll try." He began to recount his story, changing parts when he couldn't remember and adding parts when he thought of something new, making Charlotte giggle all the way through.  
  
* * *  
  
Dinner that night took place in the house, with the family gathered around the table. Generally, they spoke about their day, and their ups and downs. Jack was usually the listener during this conversation, as Emma generally dominated, and tonight was no exception. "I wish I was going to Hogwarts this year," he heard her say, and his ears perked up.  
  
"How come?" he asked her.  
  
"I can't wait to go learn all the spells and things!" she said. "And I hope I'm in Gryffindor!"  
  
"I wouldn't doubt it!" said Ron, proudly, and Emma smiled at him.  
  
"Only one more year!" she exclaimed happily.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that night, Ron checked on Jack just as he was getting ready for bed. "Won't it be weird when Emma goes to Hogwarts next year?" Jack asked.  
  
"Really weird," Ron agreed.  
  
"We won't get to see her everyday," Jack commented.  
  
"No, we won't," Ron confirmed. "Not until Christmastime, I bet."  
  
"We can visit," Jack said. "We always visit James, and Uncle Harry!"  
  
"That's true," Ron said, thinking. "We could visit Emma. But you know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I bet she wants to have some time to herself at school," Ron said. "She doesn't want her mum and dad around all the time!"  
  
"Why not?" Jack asked.  
  
"Well, because it will be a new place, and she'll have new friends, and she'll want to have a new life," said Ron.  
  
"Without us?" Jack asked in disbelief. "Why?"  
  
Ron smiled at his son. "Well, she won't always be without us. Just at school. That's the way it should be. But she'll still love us, and want to see us."  
  
"Are you sure?" Jack asked, not feeling so sure himself.  
  
"Of course," said Ron. "She'll always be your sister."  
  
"But she won't be here," said Jack again.  
  
"Jack, I don't think you have anything to worry about," said Ron. "I know you'll miss her, but it's not like you'll never see her again. I missed my older brothers - well, maybe not Percy so much - when they went to Hogwarts, but it was always really great when they came home for holidays, because they told me all about school."  
  
Jack smiled again. "I want to know what its like," said Jack. "James doesn't say too much about it."  
  
"I'm sure Emma will," said Ron. "She loves to talk!"  
  
"Yup!" said Jack, and he laughed.  
  
"You ready for bed?" Ron asked, and Jack nodded. He climbed into his bed, and pulled the covers around him.  
  
"Good-night dad," he said.  
  
"Good-night, Jack." 


	10. Hermione Remembers

Disclaimer:  
  
Chapter Ten: Hermione Remembers  
  
The house was quiet. Ron had taken the children to Harry and Ginny's house, leaving Hermione a few hours to herself. She was supposed to start planning the celebration, for Emma had gotten her Hogwarts letter that morning, but at the moment she had her feet curled up on the couch, a cup of tea in her hands and she was rifling through the family photo albums, thinking.  
  
It seemed like only yesterday that she had held newborn Emma in her arms, imagining what the future would hold for her. Now that that future was here, Hermione was feeling nostalgic and a little sad. She stopped on a picture of herself and Ron, with tiny Emma in Ron's arms, eleven years earlier. They were both smiling, thrilled with the new person that had come into their lives, this new person that they had created together. Emma was sleeping in the picture. Hermione always liked the pictures of her children sleeping the best, because it made them look so peaceful.  
  
She continued to flip through the books, going further back in time. At some point, the albums stopped containing pictures of the children, as Hermione had meticulously placed all the pictures in chronological order, and she had reached the pre-children point. She smiled when she looked at the pictures from her and Ron's wedding, and laughed when she went even further back to their days at Hogwarts.  
  
Finally, she was looking at pictures that did not even include Harry and Ron. In fact, these pictures were plain, ordinary pictures, not moving like most of the others had, for Hermione had gotten them from her parents. They were taken the day that she herself had received her letter from Hogwarts.  
  
That was the day that changed everything.  
  
* * *  
  
Ten-year-old Hermione Granger was one of the top students at her school. Because of this fact, she was a loner, preferring to study in the comforts of the school library rather than running around in the schoolyard with the other children. However, the young girl was not lonely - at least, she didn't think that she was. Her friends were her books, and she spent hours getting lost in whatever story she was reading, be it fiction or non- fiction. However, her favorite types of stories were those that dealt with magic. Being the ever-logical child that she was, her parents found it strange that she should put all her faith in something unproven, but Hermione was sure there was some way to make magic real. Sure enough, her Halloween costume of choice had always been a witch, and she always seemed partial to cats and toads when it came to having pets.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Granger had always sensed that there was something special about their child. From a very young age, strange things always seemed to be happening around her, though never something the Grangers would have imagined was magic. They were simply things that they attributed to a very great coincidence, like the time Hermione refused to eat lima beans, and suddenly both of her parents were distracted - one by an important phone call from a dental patient, while simultaneously the doorbell rang, to distract the other parent by trying to sell something. Hermione was able to slip away from the table, unnoticed - after throwing away the beans, of course.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Granger were proud of their daughter's accomplishments, but nothing surprised them as much as the day the letter from Hogwarts came. None of the three Grangers had seen the letter arrive with a brown owl, as it was included with the rest of the daily mail, but all three were confused at the specific address, stating not only the name of Miss. Hermione Granger, but the exact bedroom she occupied on the second floor of their house.  
  
Mrs. Granger was the first to see the letter, and though she found the address quite strange, she handed the envelope over to her daughter without question, but watched over her own letters as Hermione opened it. When she heard the little girl gasp, she looked up again. Hermione was reading the letter again, her eyes moving back and forth rapidly.  
  
"Hermione, what is it?" she finally asked.  
  
"I was right," was all Hermione said. She smiled at her mother and seemed to get a dreamy look in her eye.  
  
"Right about what?" her father asked, and he peered over the daily newspaper at his daughter as well.  
  
"Witches ARE real," said Hermione. "And wizards."  
  
"Hermione, what is that?" her father asked, suddenly concerned. "Let me see."  
  
Hermione handed the letter to her father and smiled as he read it, his eyes widening. Mrs. Granger, allowing curiosity to get the best of her, read over his shoulder and had a similar reaction. Hermione watched them eagerly, waiting for their reaction, but she was disappointed when it came.  
  
"This must be some sort of joke," said Mr. Granger, and he turned the letter over as though expecting to see the word 'GOTCHA' imprinted on the back.  
  
"Of course," said Mrs. Granger, shaking her head. "I quite agree."  
  
"It's not a joke!" Hermione said adamantly, so much so that both her parents looked at her quickly. Her mother sat down and faced her.  
  
"Hermione, dear, how could this NOT be some sort of prank?" she asked. "Perhaps there's someone at school who thought this would be funny? Someone you don't get along well with?"  
  
Hermione shook her head again. "No one," she said, thought now that her mother mentioned it, it WAS possible. "But no one knows how much I like magic."  
  
"But how could this possibly be real?" Mrs. Granger asked. "You know there is no such thing as magic. Not really. Remember? It's mostly illusions. We saw that show on the telly."  
  
Hermione felt herself on the verge of tears. "I think it's real."  
  
Mrs. Granger turned to her husband and they exchanged looks of concern for Hermione. She looked at them again, and they could see her eyes welling up. "I want to go," she said.  
  
"I know you do," said Mrs. Granger, and she hugged Hermione to her.  
  
"There's more," Hermione said, and she used her free arm to shuffle more papers towards her father. "Read it."  
  
Mr. Granger perused the other pieces of parchment that had come in the envelope. After he had read the supplies list, he said to his wife. "I must say, though, that if this IS a joke, someone's done a VERY thorough job." He handed the papers to his wife, and she read them as well. Suddenly, something felt very right about Hogwarts.  
  
"You know, dear," Mrs. Granger said to her husband. "I'm beginning to think this might have some truth to it. How do you suppose we find out more?"  
  
"Haven't a clue," said Mr. Granger.  
  
"It says I have to reply," said Hermione, cheering up a bit now that her parents weren't being so skeptical. "If I want to go." She looked at her mother, asking permission with her eyes. "I really want to go."  
  
"Hermione, there are so many things that we need to figure out before we can even think about this," said her mother. "First of all, we don't even know if this place - Hogwarts - is even real." Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but her mother continued. "And secondly, how exactly do we reply to the school, even if we gave permission for you to attend."  
  
Hermione had to admit that there did seem to be a slight snag in the plan. Her parents had a point. There was no return address and no phone number attached to the letter. She turned the paper over and over in her hands, searching, and was about to give up when the family heard a rapping at their door, and all three turned to see a brown owl attempting to get inside.  
  
"Make it go away!" Mrs. Granger called. "What's an owl doing out at this time of day?"  
  
"I think it wants to come in!" said Hermione, and she ran to the window and opened in. The owl swept in and landed gently on the kitchen table, taking Mr. and Mrs. Granger by surprise. The owl held out his leg.  
  
"What do you think it wants?" Mr. Granger asked.  
  
Hermione's eyes danced as she realized what the owl might be for. "It's going to bring my reply to the school!" she exclaimed.  
  
"What?" her father asked in disbelief. "An owl?"  
  
"Yes!" said Hermione. "I've read about this! It was rumored that a long time ago, witched and wizards used owls to send their letters! I can't believe that's a true story!" Hermione rushed to the cabinet and pulled out some paper and an envelope. She addressed the envelope quickly: Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was about to write a reply when she realized that her parents had not even given her permission to attend yet.  
  
"Mum? Dad?" she asked, begging them with her eyes. "I want to go."  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at each other, baffled. "Hermione, we don't know anything about it."  
  
"But, mum, someone they chose me," Hermione said. "They must know who I am, even if we don't know who they are!"  
  
"Hermione," said her father, "your mother and I need time to discuss this." This time, it wasn't Hermione but the owl who answered, with an impatient screech.  
  
"I don't think there's time, dad!" Hermione said. "Who knows when an owl will come for a reply again? You have to tell me now!" Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at their daughter, and at the determination in her eyes.  
  
"Come on!" Hermione exclaimed. "You know we're looking for a school for me for next year anyway! Here's one that wants me!"  
  
Mrs. Granger was the first to soften. "I suppose it would be all right."  
  
Mr. Granger shortly followed. "We can always pull her out, can't we?"  
  
"All right, Hermione," said her father. "Send your reply. But if anything goes wrong, of we find out this place isn't worth its salt, then you're staying right here with us."  
  
"Thanks, dad!" Hermione said, and she wrote out a quick reply, letting the school know that she would be present on September 1st. She was about to fold the letter and send it off when she thought it would be best to have her parents sign it as well. Mr. and Mrs. Granger signed their names, and Hermione tied the letter to the bird's foot. It took off, and Hermione watched it until it disappeared.  
  
Behind her back, her parents gave each other a look, saying silently to each other, 'What have we gotten ourselves into?'  
  
* * *  
  
Hogwarts remained a mystery for another two weeks, when a larger envelope arrived. Hermione ripped it open immediately, and found her train ticket inside, as well as instruction on how to enter Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and how to get to Diagon Alley to purchase her supplies. She was also told to memorize her instructions, and then to burn them, which she did. She immediately pestered her parents to take her to the Leaky Cauldron, the place where they were told they could gain access to a wizarding area.  
  
"Can we go TODAY?" Hermione asked the following Saturday.  
  
"I suppose we'd better," said Mr. Granger. He and his wife were still reluctant about sending their daughter to such a strange place, but the packet from Hogwarts had appeased the couple's fears. They were told information about Hogwarts and its history, and they were told where they could find more information.  
  
"I must say, I'm interested," said Mrs. Granger, and with that the family left the house. Once they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, they gave the bartender the secret code they were told to utter, and were led out into the alley. They watched in amazement as the bricks parted and showed them Diagon Alley for the first time.  
  
"I told you it was real," said Hermione, and she and Mr. and Mrs. Granger entered Diagon Alley.  
  
* * *  
  
The summer passed by in a blur, and soon Hermione found herself standing between the barriers between Platforms Nine and Ten, saying goodbye to her parents. "Write as soon as you arrive," said Mrs. Granger, "and let us know how it is."  
  
"I will, mum," said Hermione. "Thanks for letting me go." After Diagon Alley, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were certainly convinced that magic did indeed exist, and though they were still skeptical about sending their daughter away to study magic, they knew that it was what she loved, and they wanted her to be happy. But they would never stop worrying about her.  
  
Hermione said her final goodbyes and headed for the platform. She herself wasn't so sure it would work, walking straight into what appeared to be a solid brick wall, but she was determined. Her parents watched her disappear into the brick, and Hermione smiled happily when she made it to the other side and caught sight of the train.  
  
Twenty minutes later she was happily situated in a compartment, watching out the window as the train began to move. Inside, she felt a thrill, as well as a twinge of nervousness, but she was happy. She was going to Hogwarts.  
  
* * *  
  
"I would just like to say," said Ron as he stood at the head of the dining room table and addressed his family and friends, "how proud I am of Emma, and how happy I am that she will be heading to Hogwarts in September."  
  
"Here, here!" said Harry, and he raised a glass, and everyone else did the same.  
  
"And I hope that James here will take good care of her while she's there," said Ron, gesturing to his nephew.  
  
"Maybe," said James.  
  
"Dad! I don't need someone to take care of me!" Emma exclaimed.  
  
"You'll appreciate having James around, anyway," said Hermione. "Even though I expect you'll make scores of new friends, and forget all about us!"  
  
"No I won't!" said Emma. "But I can't wait to go! It's going to be so much fun!"  
  
"I want to go too!" Olivia exclaimed.  
  
"You wait your turn!" Hermione said back to her, not ready to let her second daughter grow up and head to school yet. She still had three years.  
  
The family laughed together, and continued their celebration dinner. After Harry and Ginny left, Ron and Hermione did a quick clean up of the kitchen, and then sat with the children in the living room.  
  
"You okay?" Ron asked.  
  
"I will be," said Hermione. "Just a little sad."  
  
"I know how you feel," said Ron. "I've felt it too. All day. I kept thinking about the day she was born."  
  
"Me too," said Hermione, "though it also made me think about when I was accepted into Hogwarts. I was looking at old photo albums when you were gone."  
  
"So that's why there was nothing set up when I got back!" Ron said, laughing.  
  
"I suppose I got a little carried away," said Hermione. "Just remembering."  
  
"Well, there's a lot to remember, isn't there?" said Ron, and he kissed her. "A lot of good things."  
  
"And so many more to come," Hermione agreed. 


	11. Emma's First Day

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Note: I fixed a typo that a reviewer caught that I wasn't even aware of in Chapter Eight. I accidentally put in Charlie and Dawn's son "Jack" which was a mistake since of course, Jack belong to Ron and Hermione. Charlie and Dawn's son is actually named Owen.  
  
Chapter Eleven: Emma's First Day  
  
Emma Weasley opened her eyes to bright sunshine coming through the small opening in the slit of the curtains surrounding her bed. She yawned widely and sat up. Pulling the curtains back, she saw that some of the other girls in her dormitory had already gotten up and left the room. "Cornelia?" she called softly, speaking to her newest friend, asleep in the bed next to hers.  
  
"Hmm?" came a sleepy voice.  
  
"I think we'd better get up," said Emma. "We don't want to miss breakfast."  
  
Emma heard a groan come from Cornelia's bed, and she laughed before getting up to change into her robes for the day. She waited until Cornelia was ready, and the two girls headed down to the common room together. "Heading to breakfast?" came a male voice, and the girls turned to see James, along with Aidan and two other Weasley cousins (and fellow Gryffindor first years) Matthew and Brian, coming from the third year boy's dormitory.  
  
"Yup!" said Emma, now excited to have begun her very first full day at Hogwarts.  
  
"Hey, wait for me!" called another girl's voice as the group reached the portrait hole. They stopped and waited as Stacey came running down the steps, clearly having almost slept too late, from the third year girls' dormitory.  
  
As they walked down the stairs towards the Great Hall, Emma only half listened as James and Aidan told her and Cornelia the secrets of Hogwarts. She was still reeling from her experience the night before, when she had traveled across the lake and entered the Great Hall. She confessed to James later that she was rather nervous during the Sorting, even though everyone in her family was convinced that she would be a Gryffindor, just as her parents - and grandparents - were before her. Still, there was always that hint of doubt, that knowledge that anything could happen at Hogwarts. Being a Weasley put her close to the very end of all the new first years as far as order goes, so her nervousness mounted as she watched each child go before her. However, her fears were diminished as soon as the hat hit her head and immediately called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" She had joined James happily, introducing herself to another first year girl on her left, who turned out to be Cornelia.  
  
The feast impressed her more than she thought it would, having heard about them numerous times from her various family members. She gladly dug in. Though her appetite was nowhere near what her father's had been at her age, she had learned to appreciate food as much as he did. She was starting to feel very drowsy by the time the Gryffindor prefect led the first years up the stairs, and showed the girls to their dormitory.  
  
Before going to bed the night before, the girls in the dormitory had gotten to know each other, finding out where each was from, and how they found out they were going to come to Hogwarts. Emma was pleased to meet a muggle, who had been shocked the day she received her letter. However, it was Cornelia Ward that she seemed to have the most in common with, and they became fast friends, already talking about how they planned to study together.  
  
"Come on, Emma," Cornelia was saying now as they neared the top of the marble staircase. Emma broke out of her thoughts and saw that the group had gotten quite a bit ahead of her, and Cornelia had doubled back to make sure she was still with them.  
  
"What were you doing?" Stacey asked when Emma had rejoined the group.  
  
"Just thinking," said Emma, and they headed into the Great Hall.  
  
* * *  
  
Breakfast was a noisy affair, with students both excited about and dreading the first day of classes. James and Aidan spent the meal looking over at all the girls at their table - as well as the other House tables - to see who had changed over the summer. Each noted that Rachel Rowan, a Hufflepuff girl, had changed quite a bit, and had gotten quite pretty as her face had cleared of some unfortunate acne.  
  
"You should ask her into Hogsmeade," said James, seeing that Aidan seemed already smitten with the girl.  
  
Tonks, who had been at Hogwarts for quite some time and was the new Head of Gryffindor House, passed out the course schedules. Emma and Cornelia eagerly took theirs and read them. James peered over Emma's shoulder to see what she had.  
  
"Not too bad today," he said. "Defense Against the Dark Arts will be fun, even though you won't have my dad yet."  
  
"That's too bad," said Emma, and she turned to Cornelia. "Uncle Harry's really cool."  
  
"What else do you have?" Aidan asked, and he took a glance at his brother's schedule. Devin Finnegan was another first year Gryffindor.  
  
"Transfiguration," Emma said.  
  
"That's Professor Tonks," said James. "She was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, until dad came here. My dad transfiguration used to be taught by McGonagall, but I guess she's too busy now."  
  
"Well, she IS the headmistress, James," said Emma matter-of-factly. "I imagine she's got a lot to do."  
  
James glanced up at the staff table and saw his father gesture to his wrist. James looked down at his own watch. "Uh-oh! We'd better hurry," he said. "or we'll be late for Herbology! You'd better get to class too, Emma."  
  
"I can get to my own classes on time, James," said Emma, suddenly feeling a little resentful of her older cousin's watchful eye. She turned to the first years around her. "Let's go then." The three boys and Cornelia stood to join her, and they headed off to their first class.  
  
* * *  
  
"Homework already!" Brian groaned as they walked out of their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. "I thought Tonks was cool!"  
  
"She IS cool, Brian," said Emma. "She's just doing her job."  
  
"Who decided that homework was a good idea," said Matthew.  
  
"I hope you plan on doing it tonight though," said Emma, "or you'll get behind."  
  
"Don't worry!" said Brian. "We can handle it." With that, he and Matthew headed back towards the Great Hall for lunch.  
  
Emma turned to Cornelia. "Want to do homework together in the common room later?"  
  
"Sure!" said Cornelia. "I can't wait to try out the spell!"  
  
"Emma!" came a voice, and the girls turned to see James standing there. "I've been looking for you. I wanted to make sure that you could find your way to the Great Hall again."  
  
"James," said Emma, "I've been here before, remember? I know how to find my way around."  
  
"I know," said James, "but your dad told me to keep an eye on you."  
  
Emma's eyes widened and James knew he was in for it. He had had many a fight with Emma over the years, and the signs that she was about to blow were hard to mistake. "James Potter, you do NOT have to watch out for me everywhere I go! I am NOT a baby, and I don't need a baby-sitter!"  
  
James had been determined to keep his own temper down, but the moment he heard Emma yelling, the old cousins' rivalry flared up in him again, and he was ready to hash it out. "I just wanted to help!" he yelled back at her.  
  
"You're not helping!" Emma shouted. "You're just annoying me!"  
  
"FINE!" James yelled back. "I'll just stay away from you then!"  
  
"Good!" Emma said, and it seemed to end the argument, though neither party knew quite where to take it from there.  
  
James spoke first. "Just don't complain to me when you need help with something," James said, and he glared at his cousin before walking past her and Cornelia, headed for the Great Hall.  
  
Emma watched him go. "The nerve of my dad," she said. "He thinks I can't take care of myself."  
  
"I'm sure he's just worried about you," said Cornelia.  
  
"Or he just wants to treat me like a baby my whole life," said Emma, and she started to walk. Cornelia had to move quickly to catch up with her.  
  
"It's not really your cousin's fault then, is it?" she asked.  
  
"Of course it is!" Emma said, her stubborn nature taking over. "He listened to my dad, didn't he?"  
  
"I guess," said Cornelia. Emma took this to mean that Cornelia agreed with her, and the two girls moved along to lunch in silence.  
  
* * *  
  
That night in the common room, Emma still refused to speak to James, and vice versa. While Emma and Cornelia sat in a corner working on their homework, James and Aidan were discussing Quidditch near the fireplace. Some of their fellow Gryffindor team members spoke with them.  
  
"I still don't get this," said Emma as she tried the spell again.  
  
"Maybe you're just not concentrating," said Cornelia as she performed the spell perfectly for the tenth time.  
  
"I might be able to concentrate," said Emma, "if it weren't so loud in here." She cast a glare in James' direction.  
  
"You know, you can't stay mad at your cousin forever," said Cornelia.  
  
"I can if I want to," said Emma, in a tone that told her friend that she was finished discussing the matter.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that night, Cornelia had headed up to bed, but Emma had stayed in the common room reading. She was engrossed in her book, so much so that she didn't hear someone come creeping down the staircase from the dormitory.  
  
James crept up behind his cousin, smiling. He had spent the day giving her the evil eye, simply to please her. He knew that sometimes she relished in being mad, and in truth he enjoyed enraging her. For a long time, James had considered Emma - as well as Ron and Hermione's other children - more like a sister (or brother, in Jack's case), and anything that made her mad was something that mad James happy. However, he was getting tired of her ignoring him, and decided that he would put a stop to it before it continued past the day.  
  
Once James was behind the couch where Emma was sitting, he planned his next move carefully, for he was certain she would hear him if he fumbled. Suddenly, he sprang up and shouted, "BOO!" Emma leapt off the couch in fright, throwing the book she was reading in the air. The book promptly came down for a landing - right on James' head.  
  
Emma and James stared at each other for a moment - and then each began laughing hysterically, James running a hand over the top of his head to try and soothe the spot where the book had landed.  
  
"Are you okay?" Emma managed to ask him between laughs.  
  
"I think so," said James, and this made the pair laugh even harder.  
  
"What were you thinking?" Emma asked.  
  
"I just wanted to scare you," said James.  
  
"Well, see what that got you?" Emma asked. They continued to laugh together for a few moments, but the sounds died down until all they could hear were the sounds of the fire.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry I listened to your dad and watched you all day," said James.  
  
"It's all right, I guess," said Emma. "I guess I should be mad at dad, and not at you."  
  
"I wanted to make sure you were okay though," said James. "I mean, you don't have any big brothers to look after you."  
  
"I'm the oldest," said Emma. "I know how to take care of myself. AND I know how to take care of other people too!"  
  
"I know you do," said James. "But you've never done it by yourself."  
  
"You don't have any big brothers or sisters either," Emma pointed out. "And you came here alone."  
  
"That's different," said James.  
  
"How?" said Emma, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Because you're a girl," said James.  
  
Emma looked as though she would like to give James a piece of her mind at that moment, but instead she said, "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't take care of myself."  
  
"I know that," said James. "I guess I just like taking care of people."  
  
Emma rolled her eyes. "If you have to watch me like a hawk, I feel really bad for Lily when she gets here!" This caused the two of them to laugh again. Then Emma smiled at him. "I suppose it's nice to have a big brother, though."  
  
"So we're friends again then?" James asked.  
  
"As long as you don't follow me around," she said.  
  
"I promise," said James.  
  
"If you do," Emma said, heading to the staircase, "I'll just tell Rachel Rowan what you and Aidan were saying about her at breakfast today." She smiled mischievously and ran up the stairs laughing before James could do anything to stop her. 


	12. Happenings at Home

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Note: No real point to this chapter, just an interlude with the Weasleys and Potters who remain at home while Emma and James are off at school.  
  
Chapter Twelve: Happenings at Home  
  
"Ron?" Hermione called. "Ron? Did you send Emma her birthday gift?" She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, calling up.  
  
"Of course I did," Ron called out, and then his head appeared, wet. He had apparently just gotten out of the shower.  
  
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. "I want her to get it this morning."  
  
"She will," said Ron. "I made sure to send it."  
  
"You're POSITIVE?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Hermione, even Charlotte told me to make sure I send it," he said. "I think you've talked about it enough."  
  
Hermione's interests changed at the mention of the three and a half year old. "Where IS Charlotte?"  
  
"Here mummy," came the little girl's voice, and Hermione turned around to see Charlotte covered in a brown substance.  
  
"Charlie, did you get into the refrigerator again?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Yup!" Charlotte said proudly.  
  
Hermione sighed, and picked Charlotte up. "Charlie, love, you know you're not supposed to do that." Hermione carried her into the kitchen where, after she set the little girl on the counter, she began to wipe the chocolate from her face. "You are going to spoil your dinner."  
  
"No I won't, mummy," said Charlotte. "There's always room for chocolate."  
  
"AFTER dinner," said Hermione.  
  
"No, better before," said Charlotte with a nod that seemed to tell Hermione that when it came to chocolate, Charlotte Weasley was the resident authority.  
  
"I agree," came a male voice from the doorway. "Chocolate before dinner has never steered me wrong."  
  
Hermione smiled at Ron. "Or chocolate during dinner, after dinner, before breakfast, in between meals," she said to him. "I could go on. I'm amazed you haven't started to resemble chocolate frogs."  
  
"What do you think Charlotte?" Ron asked. "How would you like your old man if he looked like a chocolate frog."  
  
Charlotte just laughed. "Daddy, eating chocolate frogs won't make you look like one," she said.  
  
"But what if they did?" Ron asked, always testing his most logical child.  
  
"Then you'd look pretty silly," said Charlotte. She looked at Hermione. "Can I get down now?"  
  
"Of course," said Hermione, and she helped Charlotte off of the kitchen counter. Charlotte ran from the kitchen and Ron leaned on the stop where she had been sitting.  
  
"And what about you?" he asked.  
  
"What about me?" Hermione responded.  
  
"What if eating chocolate frogs made me look like one?" he asked.  
  
"I suppose you've never heard the story of the 'Frog Prince' have you?" Hermione asked, and Ron shook his head. Hermione readied herself to explain. "It's the story of a princess who kisses a frog. After she does, he turns into a handsome prince."  
  
"So your point is?" Ron asked.  
  
"I guess I would just have to kiss you till you turned back into my prince," Hermione said with a smile, and Ron leaned in to kiss her. They were inches from each other when suddenly they heard a shout.  
  
"MUM!" came Olivia's voice from the top of the stairs.  
  
Hermione groaned at the interruption, but she and Ron headed for the second floor of their house. "What's going on?" Hermione asked when she saw the state of the hallway. There were clothes - from the looks of it mostly Olivia's - strewed up and down, as well as some books. There were some papers still flying about in mid-air, and Ron grabbed one as it floated down. Olivia promptly snatched the sheet from her father.  
  
"HIM!" was all Olivia said, and she pointed in the direction of her brother's room.  
  
"Jack!" Ron called, but no one emerged from the bedroom. "Jack!" Still no one. "Jack Arthur Weasley, you come out here right now!"  
  
The door opened slightly, and Jack peered through the crack. "Jack?" Ron asked now. "Do you know anything about this mess?"  
  
"I didn't do it," said Jack calmly.  
  
"Yes you did!" Olivia shouted. She turned to her parents. "He came into my room where I was working on a story and he asked me if I wanted to play with him. When I said no, he got really mad."  
  
"Mad enough to do this?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "And in the two minutes that your father has been downstairs with me?" Olivia nodded. Hermione raised a suspicious eyebrow at the eight and a half year old.  
  
"Okay, maybe I threw stuff," she said quietly.  
  
"And?" Hermione asked.  
  
"He threw stuff too," Olivia said, again pointing a finger at her brother.  
  
"Jack, come all the way out here," Ron said to his son, and Jack stepped tentatively into the hallway. Ron surveyed his children. "Now, I find it hard to believe that just ONE of you made this whole mess. Now, Olivia has told us that she threw some of these things. What's your story?"  
  
"I wanted to play," said Jack. "So I stole her story."  
  
"And threw it into the hallway?" Hermione asked. Both children nodded, Jack slowly and Olivia more vigorously. Hermione continued. "That explains the papers. Now what about the clothing?"  
  
"She threw it at me," Jack said. Hermione looked at Olivia.  
  
"I just wanted to stop him from running away with the story," said Olivia. "It's private."  
  
Ron, who had been picking up more of the pages of Olivia's story, handed them to her. "Jack," he said. "You should not have taken Olivia's work from her, especially if she told you not to. This is something your sister obviously cares a lot about."  
  
"And Olivia," said Hermione, "if you had a problem you should have told me before it started. You don't throw things at your brother, even if it's just your clothes."  
  
"Yes, mum," said Olivia, and she looked down at her shoes.  
  
"Now," continued Hermione. "As we're having guests in a little while, I'm willing to let this go with a warning. If I hear any more problems from the two of you, you're both going to be punished. Understand me?"  
  
"Understand," Jack repeated.  
  
"Now, clean this mess up and then go into your own rooms, and stay there," said Hermione, "or join me, dad and Charlotte downstairs."  
  
"Okay," said Olivia, and she and Jack turned to make their way into their own respective bedrooms.  
  
"One more thing," said Hermione as the children were about to disappear from the hallway. They turned to her. "Don't forget to write your sister for her birthday." Jack and Emma nodded, and then went into their bedrooms, Olivia clutching her story to her chest.  
  
* * *  
  
A hour later, the family was greeted with a knock at the door. "Hi, Gin," said Ron as he opened the door and stood to let her, Harry, Lily and Daniel in. "How are you, Lily?" he asked.  
  
"She's pouting," said Ginny, "because she got in trouble this morning for putting gum in her brother's hair."  
  
"Join the club," said Ron, and he recounted the problem that had occurred between Olivia and Jack earlier. When he was finished, he turned to the little boy. "Hey there, Daniel," he said. "How are you?"  
  
"Good," he said. "Where's Charlotte?"  
  
"Come on, buddy," said Ron. "I'll take you to her." He picked up his nephew and headed into the next room. Harry and Ginny followed.  
  
Hermione greeted Harry and Ginny and the four sat down in the living room. Lily headed up to Olivia's room, and Jack smartly came downstairs to join the adults. Charlotte and Daniel sat near their feet, playing with a stack of blocks. "Daniel, you have to build it this way," said Charlotte, and she took some of the blocks from her cousin and showed him her preferred way of building block castles.  
  
Daniel watched her intently. When she was done, he looked at her. "No," he said, and he swept a hand through the entire castle to knock it down.  
  
"Daniel!" Charlotte cried out in frustration. "You're not supposed to do that!"  
  
"Charlotte," said Harry. "That's the fun of blocks. Building something and then knocking it down."  
  
Charlotte looked at her uncle questioningly. "Why is that fun?" she asked him.  
  
Harry seemed stumped. "I don't know exactly," he said. "I just know that it is."  
  
Charlotte looked at him again, then simply nodded her head and moved a group of blocks away from Daniel so she could build her castle in peace. Daniel, on the other hand, continued to stack a few blocks and then knock them down, giggling each time that he did.  
  
Harry looked at his friends and shrugged. "To each his own, I suppose," he said.  
  
"I'm amazed they get along so well," said Ginny. "With Daniel all over the place, and Charlotte liking everything to be in order." It was true. The youngest Potter and the youngest Weasley, just eight months apart in age, were as different as night and day. Daniel was extroverted and liked to run around and make noise. Introverted Charlotte preferred time to herself, whether it be building a block castle or just looking at books. Yet somehow the two managed to be quite good friends, somehow complementing each other. Often, Charlotte managed to make Daniel calm down and sit still for a while, and sometimes Daniel could make Charlotte come a bit out of her shell and run around and carry on (and not worry so much about what the logical explanation for things was).  
  
"I think Daniel could stand to learn a few things from Charlotte," said Ginny when Daniel gleefully knocked down his tower again, blocks hitting Ginny by her feet. She looked over at Charlotte, who shook her head at her younger cousin's actions and then continued to quietly build her own tower.  
  
"Charlotte needs to loosen up," said Ron, and Hermione hit him on the arm, knowing Charlotte would take offense if she heard what Ron said. But the little girl showed no sign that she had heard her father, and continued on with her castle.  
  
"You want to know my opinion?" said Harry. "I think they're just fine the way they are."  
  
* * *  
  
"Little brothers are so annoying!" Olivia exclaimed as she and Lily sat on her bed, the story Olivia had been working on between them.  
  
"I know!" said Lily. "Sometimes I wish Daniel would just go and live with grandma and grandpa at the burrow!"  
  
"Do you think they'll take Jack too?" Olivia asked, and the girls giggled. Lily reached down and picked up the first piece of paper in the stack on the bed.  
  
"Why didn't you just let him read the story?" Lily asked.  
  
"It's private," said Olivia.  
  
"But I'm reading it," said Lily. "I like it."  
  
"I don't want Jack to read it," said Olivia. "It's mine."  
  
"But you're going to be a write," said Lily. "People have to read what you write."  
  
"But not today," said Olivia.  
  
"I guess so," said Lily. "But you know your brother will read anything you publish."  
  
"Like I said," Olivia said again, "not today."  
  
Lily shrugged and continued to read Olivia's story, which chronicled the life of a young princess who discovers that she has magical powers, and uses them to rid the world of evil. Olivia watched her read it, then asked, "So why'd you put gum in Daniel's hair?"  
  
"He deserved it," said Lily simply.  
  
"Why?" Olivia pressed.  
  
"He wanted to take my doll," said Lily. "And he would've ripped her head off." Despite her friend's obvious annoyance, Olivia laughed at her statement.  
  
Lily gave her cousin a stern look. "He would have. And I love that doll. My dad gave her to me when I was little."  
  
"I know which doll you mean, Lil," said Olivia. "We play with it all the time at your house." Lily responded by sticking her tongue out at her cousin, and then continuing to read the story. When she was finished, she turned to Olivia to give her a review.  
  
"I like it," she said. "You should keep working on it. I think you could make some money."  
  
"How much?" Olivia asked, suddenly intrigued at the prospect of money.  
  
"I don't know," Lily said, shrugging.  
  
"You're no help," Olivia scoffed, and the girls laughed, enjoying each other's company until Hermione called them down to dinner.  
  
* * *  
  
"Happy birthday daddy!" Charlotte called out as Hermione walked to the dinner table with a cake and set it in front of Ron. The family sang a quick refrain of "Happy Birthday to You," and Daniel got to help his uncle blow out the birthday candles. Hermione kissed Ron on the cheek before returning to her seat next to him and helping him pass out the cake slices.  
  
"And here's to Emma on her birthday as well," said Ginny, holding up a glass. "She may not be here physically, but she certainly is in spirit."  
  
"Here, here," said Harry, and the family clinked glasses before digging into their pieces of cake. 


	13. James' Crush

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, so brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Chapter Thirteen: James' Crush  
  
James could remember the first time he had ever seen her, even though at the time he didn't give her a second thought. She had been getting onto the Hogwarts Express, and she was saying good-bye to her parents. He found out later that her name was Miranda Timble, when she had also been chosen as a new Gryffindor first year. They knew each other from classes, and saw each other everyday when they were in school, and had had multiple conversations over the years, but it wasn't until early in his fourth year - at the age of fourteen - that James happened a glance at Miranda, and felt something in his chest constrict.  
  
All of a sudden, James found that he wanted to do everything he could to impress Miranda. He raised his hand a lot in class, proudly giving answers her knew were correct. He tried not to make it obvious that he was checking to see if Miranda had noticed his giving the correct answer.  
  
His newfound attentions did not go unnoticed, however. Aidan could see that his friend was falling for the girl, going by his own recent feelings about one Rachel Rowan of Hufflepuff.  
  
"If you fancy her, you should just ask her out," said Aidan as he and James sat in the common room one evening, doing their homework. Well, TRYING to do their homework was more like it, as James kept stealing glances to the opposite corner of the room, where Miranda was doing her own homework with her friends.  
  
"Ask who out?" Emma asked curiously, walking up behind them.  
  
"James fancies Miranda Timble," said Aidan, and James immediately kicked him in the leg.  
  
"She'll HEAR you," he whispered harshly to his friend.  
  
Emma giggled. "Do you really?" she asked. James said nothing, but the deep blush in his cheeks, and the reaction he had given Aidan, told her all she needed to know. Now Emma laughed triumphantly. "My cousin has a girlfriend!" she exclaimed.  
  
"She is NOT my girlfriend!" James' voice continued in the harsh whisper.  
  
"But you WANT he to be," Emma teased.  
  
"That doesn't make it true," James said, and he glanced over at Miranda's table again.  
  
"Ask her to go into Hogsmeade then," said Emma. James shook his head furiously. "Why not?"  
  
"What if she says no?" James asked.  
  
"But what if she says yes?" Emma shot back. James was silenced. Emma DID have a point. He had never considered the fact that if he asked Miranda to go into Hogsmeade with him, she might actually agree to go.  
  
He looked at his cousin and said, now with a very serious tone, "Do you think she really would go?"  
  
Emma shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "I just meant that you'll never know unless you ask her."  
  
"She has a point," Aidan said.  
  
Now James turned to his friend. "I don't see you asking Rachel Rowan into Hogsmeade."  
  
"Yeah," Emma joined in, "and you've liked HER since last year."  
  
"Well," Aidan said, slightly flustered now and trying to think of what to say next. "Maybe I just don't want a girlfriend tying me down right now."  
  
Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah right," she said. "You're just afraid."  
  
"I am not!" Aidan exclaimed, and then to Emma's look he said, "Okay, maybe a little bit."  
  
"How hard can it be?" Emma asked. "You just walk over there, and you say, 'Would you like to join me in Hogsmeade next weekend?'"  
  
"I don't talk like that," said James.  
  
"Then talk however you talk," said Emma, "I just think it would be better to be polite."  
  
"What do you know about it anyway?" James asked. "YOU'VE never gone out with anyone."  
  
"So?" said Emma. "I'm a girl, and I know that girls don't like it when boys walk up to them and mumble something."  
  
Aidan and James exchanged glances with each other. It had never occurred to them before that they could use James' cousin to their advantage. She WAS a girl, and she probably knew much more about what girls liked and didn't like. "How can I tell if a girl likes me or not?" James now asked her.  
  
Emma thought about it. "It's not always the same," she said. "There's different types. Some girls get really giggly whenever they're around someone they like. Other ones might start to act jealous if you pay attention to too many other girls - that's what my mum did when she liked my dad."  
  
"I don't think Miranda has done either of those," said James.  
  
"But you don't hang around with groups of girls," Aidan pointed out. "Except Emma, and no one's going to get jealous over you and her, cause everyone knows you're related."  
  
"True," Emma pointed out.  
  
"Well, how else can we tell if she likes me or not?" James asked, though the blush on his cheeks was now burning.  
  
Emma thought for a moment. "Do you want me to ask her for you?" Emma asked.  
  
"What?" James asked, taken aback by the suggestion. "No! She'll know I told you to!"  
  
"She would," Aidan agreed.  
  
"Okay then," said Emma. "Do you want CORNELIA to ask if she likes you?"  
  
James thought about this for a moment. The thought of Emma's best friend asking Miranda Timble personal questions didn't seem to be such a bad idea. Still, it seemed as though they could hit a snag with that plan. Aidan was the one who voiced the potential problem. "Since when are Miranda Timble and Cornelia on speaking terms?"  
  
"Yeah," James said.  
  
"They're not," said Emma, "but they're both in Gryffindor, and they have had small conversations before."  
  
"I don't think so," James said, making the decision. "That would be too weird."  
  
"Suit yourself," said Emma. "You'll just have to see how it goes then." She turned and headed out of the common room, informing her cousin that she would be in the library getting her homework done.  
  
Once Emma was gone, James turned to Aidan. "I'll tell you what," he said. "Let's make this interesting."  
  
"What do you mean?" Aidan asked.  
  
"I mean that I'll ask Miranda if she'll come to Hogsmeade with me if YOU ask Rachel Rowan," said James with a raised eyebrow at his best friend.  
  
Aidan's face paled, stricken at the thought of going close enough to Rachel to actually be able to say something to her. Every time he had found himself in that situation he had managed to get flustered and screw up whatever he wanted to say, whether it be a request to borrow a quill or to try and tell her that she looked nice. Rachel was polite about it, and she smiled at him whenever they spoke, but Aidan was almost sure she giggled about it behind his back when he wasn't around.  
  
"Do I have to?" Aidan asked.  
  
"You like her, don't you?" James responded, to which Aidan nodded. James nodded back at him, affirming that Aidan would have to deal with his fear and speak to the girl, for real, once and for all.  
  
"Can I do it tomorrow?" Aidan asked.  
  
"I guess so," said James. "You won't see her till then anyway."  
  
"Good," said Aidan. "Then it's settled. Shake?" He held his hand out to James and the boys shook hands, sealing the pact they had made. When their hands left contact, Aidan said, "Now can we get some homework done?"  
  
* * *  
  
At breakfast the next morning, James found himself seated with just three people in between him and Miranda. Aidan kept shooting nervous looks in Rachel Rowan's direction. Emma, after hearing about their pact, spent breakfast alternating between a deep conversation with Cornelia about the essay they wrote the night before, and rolling her eyes at her cousin and his friend's ridiculous behavior. "Just ask them," she said before she left the Great Hall to head to her class. The boys stood and began to follow the crowds that were now leaving the Great Hall. They had a class that morning with the Hufflepuffs, and so the opportunity couldn't have been better.  
  
They entered the greenhouse and took their places. Professor Sprout entered, greeted them and began talking at length about something James and Aidan weren't really paying attention to. James' eyes were on Miranda as she seemed to listen to Professor Sprout, however she turned when she felt someone's gaze on her. When she saw that it was James who was looking at her, she gave him a small smile. James' heart swelled, and he suddenly felt more confident as he smiled back at her.  
  
Herbology seemed to last forever that morning. James kept looking at Miranda, and to his delight, she kept looking over at him and smiling as well. He took this to be a good sign, and once Professor Sprout had dismissed them he walked away from Aidan without a word and soon found himself face to face with his crush.  
  
"Hi Miranda," he said, hoping he sounded more cheerful than nervous.  
  
"Hi," Miranda said back. She yawned. "That was a long class, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yeah," said James. They were now standing near the entrance of the greenhouse, neither one saying a word, and both VERY aware of the silence that now fell between them.  
  
"So," Miranda finally said, and it seemed as though she was ready to walk out of the greenhouse.  
  
"Miranda?" James asked, feeling his newfound courage slip away from him.  
  
"Yeah?" she responded.  
  
James felt as though he were shrinking under her gaze. She looked at him expectantly, and he suddenly remembered that he had to speak. "Um," he started, unable to find the correct words. "Miranda, would you.. would you like to... would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"  
  
Miranda smiled at him, and then seemed to consider the question. "Sure," she said, and this time when James looked at her, her smile was warm, and it made him smile back at her. His heart now seemed to swell again.  
  
"Great!" he said, beaming. Miranda beamed back at him, and the pair walked back to the castle together, talking of the weekend and what they might do when they got to Hogsmeade.  
  
* * *  
  
In the common room that night James and Miranda, though they kept their distance from each other, sent glances and smiles in each other's direction, as though they had a secret from everybody else. Emma, however, was determined to weed out the secret as she saw her cousin look up from his work for what seemed the twenty-seventh time. "All right," she finally said. "Are you going to tell me what happened or not?"  
  
"What do you mean?" James asked, turning a page in his spellbook and pretending as though he had no idea what she could be talking about.  
  
"You and Miranda," Emma prodded. "What happened?"  
  
"Oh, that," said James as though the previous day's problem had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "She said she'd go into Hogsmeade with me."  
  
"She did!?" Emma asked. "That's great!" James didn't respond, but Emma could see that he was smiling. "So you finally got the courage to ask her, huh?"  
  
"Yup!" said James happily.  
  
Emma's eyes lit up. "What are you going to do in Hogsmeade?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know yet. Probably go to the Three Broomsticks," said James. "She said she likes it there."  
  
"I wish I could go!" Emma said. "You're so lucky!"  
  
"You'll get to go next year," said James. "And besides, you've been to Hogsmeade a million times."  
  
"I know," said Emma, "but not with school." She thought about it for a moment, but then seemed to brighten up. "Here's Aidan!" she exclaimed. "You think he was as lucky as you."  
  
The look on Aidan's face made it seem as though the boy had been flat out turned down, but when he took a seat in the chair across from James, a small smile crept across his pale face, and he took a long breath as though it were the first one he was allowing himself.  
  
"What happened?" This time is was Cornelia who asked, having joined in the conversation late.  
  
"She said okay," said Aidan.  
  
"Great, mate!" James exclaimed, but Aidan just continued to gaze dreamily into space and smile his small smile.  
  
"I think he's in shock," said Emma.  
  
* * *  
  
When the next Hogsmeade weekend rolled around, James, Aidan, Miranda and Rachel all headed out the front gates of Hogwarts for a fun-filled afternoon. When they returned from the day and sat with Emma and Cornelia by the fire in the common room, they recounted their day, and said how glad they were that they finally overcame their fear and asked the girls out. 


	14. Summertime Celebrations

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, so brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Chapter Fourteen: Summertime Celebrations  
  
"Come back here, Lily!" James shouted at his little sister as she streaked across the yard, trying to avoid the water balloon that James now held in his hand, ready to strike.  
  
"No way!" Lily called out as she ran further away from her brother, and sought solace behind a large tree.  
  
"Come out!" James called again, as he stood on the other side of the tree and waited for her to peer out of one of the sides. He was determined to get his sister with the balloon, no matter what it took. Suddenly struck with an idea, he stopped shouting and ran into the house.  
  
After a long school year, James was finally on vacation. The year had been prosperous in many ways. He had made good grades, helped the Gryffindor team win the Cup again and, most importantly, received his first kiss. It had happened on Halloween, after he and Miranda Timble had been on a few dates. They sat together at the feast that night, enjoying all the food. As they were walking hand in hand through the corridors back to the Common Room, James found himself deliberately walking slower than he usually would. When they had just reached the passageway that led to the Common Room's entrance, he had stopped and boldly just kissed her. Neither had said a word, but they exchanged a smile and then walked back to the Common Room where they parted for their respective dormitories.  
  
It HAD been a good year, despite the fact that things didn't quite work out with Miranda. Thought things started well, both parties seemed to be moving in different directions, and their interests just seemed to different to be able to build a bridge between. They had parted mutually, though much to the dismay of the still-going-strong Aidan and Rachel, who had enjoyed their company on the double dates.  
  
Now James was home, and he realized that he was glad to be. Now fifteen, he was starting to feel more like an adult - though his parents didn't treat him like one. Still, when he returned home he could hardly believe how big Daniel had gotten in just a year. Suddenly, the baby brother James had left had turned into a LITTLE brother, complete with all the charms of being four-years-old. It was this four-year-old that James currently sought.  
  
"Daniel?" he called out, low so that in the backyard Lily would not hear him. "Daniel?"  
  
"He's in here," Ginny called to her son, and James entered the kitchen.  
  
"I should have known," said James. "Eating." Sure enough, Daniel was sitting at the table, relishing in his lunch. The kid loved to eat. He was not fat, however, because as much as he loved to eat, he also loved to run around, so the two managed to balance each other out.  
  
"Hey, Daniel," James said, and he pulled a chair up next to his little brother. "You want to help me get Lily all wet?"  
  
Daniel nodded eagerly. "How?" he asked.  
  
"All you have to do is throw this at her," said James, and he showed Daniel the water balloon. The four-year-old reached for it immediately.  
  
Ginny looked over at her sons. "Come on, boys, give your sister a break," she said, thought she had a small smile on her face, remembering the many summers that she herself had been chased around the yard by her brothers, complaining and yet loving every minute of it at the same time.  
  
"Mum," said James. "This isn't anything Lily can't handle."  
  
"I know," she said. "But I should think you'd have a little more sympathy for her. She IS your sister."  
  
"And as her older brother, it is my duty to throw things at her," James said sarcastically, to which Ginny gave him a small smack on the back.  
  
"If you must," she said. "Just be gentle. I don't want any crying today. Especially not on your dad's birthday."  
  
"Dad loves it," James said, and he picked Daniel up from his chair and the two brothers headed outside. He looked around and saw Lily nowhere. Assuming she was still behind the tree, he crept over to it, planning to surprise her by ambush. Daniel copied his older brother's movements, being as quiet as possible. Though he rarely saw him, James was quite the role model for Daniel, and he mimicked him every chance he got.  
  
When James reached the tree, he slowly peered around it, expecting to see his sister sulking. He was surprised when he was met with.. nothing. "Lil?" he asked, confused, and as he was looking around, he felt something land on his head and break. With a splash he was covered in water.  
  
A ten-year-old's giggling soon filled the air. "Gotcha!" Lily called out and James looked up to see his sister's leg's dangling from one of the branches, the rest of her hidden from view by the full leaves. She giggled again and called across the yard. "Thanks for the idea, daddy!"  
  
"Anytime, love!" said Harry, and he came into view from behind another tree.  
  
"Hey!" James exclaimed. "That's not fair!"  
  
"You deserved it, and you know it," said Harry, teasing his son. He walked over to the tree. "Ready to get down, Lil?"  
  
"Uh-huh," she said, "but I can do it." To the boys' surprise, Lily expertly climbed down the trunk of the tree. When they questioned her with their eyes, she said, "What? Olivia and I climb that tree all the time."  
  
James, still soaking wet, turned to his sister, "I'll get you before the day is out!"  
  
"We'll see," said Lily calmly. "But I have daddy as my ally."  
  
"So," said James. "I have Daniel."  
  
"Nice ally," said Lily with a laugh. "He's FOUR."  
  
"So!?" exclaimed the little boy, obviously understanding his sister's words. "Four's big!"  
  
"Of course it is," said Harry. "But if you boys don't mind, I'm on your sister's side today. Perhaps you can recruit your mum."  
  
"Not if I get there first!" Lily exclaimed, and she shot off across the yard for the kitchen.  
  
* * *  
  
Ginny was laughing as she watched the scene from the kitchen, and then heard Lily run in behind her. "Hey!' she exclaimed. "Did you wipe your feet?" Lily nodded, and then picked up each bare foot in turn to show Ginny that she was not covered in mud. Ginny nodded her approval. "You want to give me a hand?"  
  
"What are you making?"  
  
"Cake for dad's birthday," said Ginny. "Grandma and grandpa are coming, and so are Ron and Hermione."  
  
"Oh good," said Lily. "Olivia and I have so much to talk about."  
  
"Do you really?" Ginny asked. "And what could you have to talk about? You just saw each other last night."  
  
"Mum, it's private," said Lily seriously.  
  
"Okay," said Ginny, and she handed Lily a spoon of batter to lick. "I can respect your privacy. When I was your age I had a lot of trouble finding any, what with having six brothers."  
  
"I don't know how you did that," said Lily, sighing. "I can't handle the two I've got!"  
  
* * *  
  
The party that evening was held in the backyard, after Harry charmed an area so that the family wouldn't get eaten alive by mosquitoes. Soft music was playing from the house and a light breeze was blowing, making the evening very comfortable and quite enjoyable. The adults sat around the table sipping wine and talking while the children branched out around the yard more in their various groups. Emma and James were plotting their revenge on Lily and, by association, Olivia. They planned to enlist the help of Jack, Charlotte and Daniel who at the moment were playing a game the others didn't quite understand. They seemed to have made it up themselves. Lily and Olivia themselves remained near their parents, knowing that the revenge was coming and also knowing that it would be harder to pull off with adults nearby.  
  
"What a beautiful night," said Mrs. Weasley as she looked up and saw the stars shining down on them.  
  
"Very," Mr. Weasley agreed.  
  
"This is a perfect place, you know that," said Mrs. Weasley, addressing the entire group. "To be sitting out here on just a fine evening with my loved ones around me. Can't get much better."  
  
"Nope," said Hermione.  
  
"And, to make it even better, we're celebrating a birthday," said Ginny before she kissed Harry on the cheek.  
  
"It's funny," said Harry. "I've had such wonderful birthdays for so long, it's hard to remember that when I was living with the Dursleys, they barely acknowledged them."  
  
"Well, it's been a long time since that had to happen," said Ginny.  
  
"They still send cards though," said Harry. "Every year. It's strange."  
  
"Do they still brag about their vacation home?" Ron asked.  
  
"Nah, they stopped that years ago," said Harry. "Now they pretty much just sign their names."  
  
"Though they do like to tell him in great detail what Dudley is doing," said Ginny.  
  
"Aunt Petunia is always lamenting about how he's not settling down," added Harry. "Wants grandchildren, I suppose."  
  
"Nothing wrong with that," said Mrs. Weasley, with a proud look in the direction of her own.  
  
"No, nothing wrong with that," said Harry. "But why she chooses to tell me all of this in a birthday greeting is beyond me."  
  
"On the other hand," said Ginny, changing the subject. "He received a downright dangerous exploding card from Fred and George today."  
  
"Oh yes," said Hermione. "They sent one to Olivia for her birthday as well. The 'Exploding Greeting.'"  
  
"It's their new product," said Ron. "Apparently they've been looking to branch out, and cards that explode seemed the best option."  
  
"Scared the life out of poor Olivia though, didn't it, love," said Hermione and she stroked Olivia's hair.  
  
"No!" said Olivia, adamant against her family thinking she was scared of it. "It was cool! It turned into a bird before it exploded." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded, and then groaned.  
  
"Leave it to Fred and George to turn a perfectly lovely birthday greeting into something that explodes," Mrs. Weasley said, though the rest could detect a slight pride in her voice. Over the years the joke shop had grown on her, as she had seen that it truly was the best profession for her twins. And with the boys settled and married, she was even happier.  
  
Ginny smiled down at Daniel, who had just come over and climbed into her lap, clearly exhausted. "You don't want to fall asleep now do you sweetie?" she asked him. The little boy replied with a yawn. Ginny laughed. "We haven't even had the cake yet."  
  
"Cake?" Daniel asked, his eyes now wide open.  
  
"Yup," said Ginny. "Dad's birthday cake."  
  
"Can we have it?" Daniel asked eagerly.  
  
"I think that can be arranged," said Ginny, and she looked at the adults around her. "Is everyone ready for dessert?" She was greeted with 'yesses' and nods, and soon James and Emma made their way back to the table with the promise of dessert.  
  
"Let me help you, Gin," said Hermione, and she made to stand.  
  
Ginny held up a hand to stop her. "No need," she said cheerfully, and she pointed her wand towards the house. "Accio cake! Accio coffee!" she called out, and immediately the refreshments started making their way to the crowd. Ginny prompted them to land neatly on the table, then surveyed it. "Oops," she said. "Almost forgot!" She pointed her wand to the house again and used it to summon the dessert plates and forks as well.  
  
"Ready?" she asked.  
  
"Aren't we going to sing happy birthday to Uncle Harry?" Charlotte asked, even though she was eager to dig into the cake, which she saw had a thick layer of chocolate frosting.  
  
Ginny looked over at Harry, knowing that he did not usually like when people made a fuss, and how he usually got embarrassed, especially when someone was to sing happy birthday. However, to Ginny's surprise, he nodded. "For the kids," he said.  
  
"All right then. Charlie?" Ginny asked. "Why don't you start us off?" Charlotte smiled and she began to sing, soon joined by the rest of the group. At the end of the song, all the younger children gathered round the cake and Harry took a step back as he let them blow out the candles. There was applause all around, and Ginny cut into the cake.  
  
By the end of the evening, full of cake and getting sleepy, James let the fact that he was trying to get revenge on Lily for the water balloon slip from his mind. After all the guests had left, he lay in the grass and looked up at the stars. Oddly, and even unexpected to himself, Astronomy had become one of his best subjects in Hogwarts. He was just following the lines of a constellation when his view was suddenly blocked.  
  
"Lily, can you please get out of the way?" he asked his sister. She shook her head. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" Lily shook her head again.  
  
"Mum doesn't know I'm out here," she said. James noticed that she was, in fact, wearing her pajamas and was walking barefoot.  
  
"She'll be mad if she catches you," James said.  
  
"I don't care," said Lily. "I looked out my window and saw you here, and I wanted to join you. What are you doing anyway?"  
  
"Watching stars," said James.  
  
"Do you know all their names?" Lily asked, and she took a seat next to him.  
  
"A lot of them," said James. "I know a lot of the constellation names, and the planets too, of course."  
  
"Can you show me?" Lily asked, and she sounded genuinely impressed with her brother.  
  
"Sure," said James, and he pointed. Lily shifted so that she was lying in the grass, and she looked up at the star filled sky. She followed James' hand to see a cluster of stars.  
  
"It just looks like stars to me," said Lily, disappointed.  
  
"Look very carefully," said James, "and you'll start to see the shapes."  
  
Lily blinked and then opened her eyes very wide to look up at the sky. "Show me again," she said, and James moved his arm to make the motion of the big dipper.  
  
"I see it!" Lily exclaimed suddenly as she followed his arm.  
  
"I told you," he said. "It's not just a bunch of random stars out there."  
  
"That's really cool," said Lily, and she turned to her brother. "Can we stay out here a while."  
  
"Okay," said James, finding that it was one of the rare moments when he and his sister seemed to appreciate each other's company. "At least until mum finds out." Lily giggled and then watched as James traced another pattern with his arm.  
  
Little did the siblings know, Ginny had heard Lily creep out of her bedroom and had watched the little girl head into the backyard. Expecting the two to begin fighting again, Ginny had watched the exchange between the brother and sister, and smiled when she saw Lily settle down next to her brother and watch the sky with him.  
  
"No problems?" Harry asked as he came up behind his wife and looked out at the children.  
  
"Thankfully not," said Ginny. "They seem to be getting along quite well right now."  
  
"It happens," said Harry with a smile. Ginny turned to him and placed a light kiss on his lips.  
  
"Did you have a good birthday?" she asked. Harry nodded.  
  
"It's always nice to see everyone," he said. "But it's especially nice to have you and James and Lily and Daniel around for these occasions."  
  
Ginny smiled at him, knowing how much he cherished finally having a real family of his own. "Happy Birthday, Harry," she said.  
  
* * *  
  
A few days later  
  
Emma stood in the kitchen of the Weasley house and surveyed the things around her. "I wish I could use magic outside of school," she lamented to Hermione.  
  
"I know that," said Hermione. "But you know that you can't. And as you're the one who insisted you make your sister's birthday cake, anyway, I'm going to let you get to it."  
  
Emma frowned at her. "How do I make it without using magic?"  
  
"How do you do anything without using magic?" Hermione asked. "Honestly Emma, you went for quite a long time without being able to use it. I should think you picked up a few things. Didn't your grandfather show you how to make a cake once?"  
  
"We kind of just threw flower all over the kitchen, mum," said the thirteen- year-old. "It was supposed to make James think cooking was fun."  
  
"Well, you know that I didn't even know magic really existed until I went to Hogwarts," Hermione reminded her, "so I made quite a few cakes with my mum."  
  
"Then you can help me!" Emma exclaimed. "And if it gets too hard, YOU can use magic to make it!"  
  
"Oh no you don't!" said Hermione with a laugh. "This was your idea. I wanted to just buy the cake."  
  
"It's not as good when you buy it," said Emma.  
  
"I suppose," said Hermione. Emma pleaded with her eyes until finally Hermione softened. "All right, love, we'll make the cake together." Emma smiled triumphantly, and then handed her mother a cookbook.  
  
"How do we do it?" she asked.  
  
"Well, let's get everything we need out first," said Hermione, and she went to the pantry to retrieve some items, only to find Charlotte and Jack sitting on the floor helping themselves to a large bag of potato chips.  
  
"Jack! Charlotte!" she cried out in surprise. "Those are for later!"  
  
"Mum!" Charlotte complained, when Hermione reached down and took the bag of chips from them. "It's my birthday!"  
  
"I know that quite well, thank you," said Hermione, "and I also know that in about two hours, your cousins are going to show up, and you and Jack look a fright from playing in the backyard. I want you to march right on upstairs and get in the tub. Charlotte first. While you're waiting Jack, I want you to straighten up the living room."  
  
"I don't like to clean!" Eight-year-old Jack exclaimed.  
  
"I know you don't," said Hermione. "But a lot of people are going to be here today, and we're going to make this house presentable. Come one." Though they groaned about it, Jack and Charlotte followed Hermione out of the pantry and into the living room, where they found Ron lounging on the couch, still in his pajamas, flipping through a Quidditch magazine.  
  
"Dad's not doing anything." Jack took the opportunity to point out the obvious. Ron pulled the magazine away from his face and surveyed his family. Hermione smiled mischievously at him.  
  
"You're absolutely right, Jack," she said. "Dad isn't doing anything." Ron raised an eyebrow at her. "And I think the perfect job for him would be to help you out in here!"  
  
"What's that?" said Ron, now sitting up at full attention.  
  
"Mum's making me clean the living room," said Jack miserably.  
  
"You're going to help," Hermione added. "But can I suggest getting properly dressed first?" Ron looked down at his clothes and shrugged.  
  
"I can clean in this," he said.  
  
Hermione smiled. "Suit yourself," she said. "But make sure you change before the guests arrive."  
  
"Of course," said Ron, and he smiled back at her. Standing, he placed a kiss on her lips and then turned to Jack.  
  
"Are you ready?" he asked.  
  
"I guess," said Jack, in the same miserable tone as he plopped himself onto the couch.  
  
"Great!" said Hermione, with one job taken care of. She turned to Charlotte. "Now, upstairs with you!" She ushered Charlotte out of the room.  
  
Ron sat on the couch next to his son and looked over at him. "Where do you suppose we should start?" he asked him.  
  
"Nowhere," said the still grumpy Jack.  
  
"Well, that won't get us very far, will it son?" Ron asked. Jack simply shrugged. Ron looked at him, a serious expression on his face. "I see this isn't going to be easy. I suppose this will just go a lot faster if I do it." Ron smiled and waved his wand in the direction of a pile of Jack's toys. With a few short spells, he had the toys sailing through the air and landing neatly into the plastic bins Hermione kept to the side of the room for their storage.  
  
Ron looked over at Jack. "You know," he said. "This is REALLY hard work. I think you need to help me."  
  
"I can't use a wand," said Jack. "I haven't been to school yet."  
  
Ron looked as though he were thinking about the problem. "That IS a problem," he said. "But I'm not going to clean this room by myself."  
  
"Maybe I can help," Jack said, and his mood seemed to perk up a little bit. He stood and then knelt by the coffee table, where he began to stack the magazines, going in order from largest to smallest, until he had a neat pile in front of him.  
  
"How about this?" Ron asked, and he joined Jack. "I won't clean with magic. That way we can both do all the work together."  
  
"Okay," said Jack, and they continued to work.  
  
* * *  
  
With Charlotte upstairs getting ready for her guests (with Olivia's help, which Hermione could only hope would turn out all right), Hermione turned her attention back the Emma's dilemma in the kitchen. While Hermione had been distracted by her younger children, he oldest had managed to figure out the first steps to making the cake. When Hermione returned to the kitchen, she found Emma whisking eggs into a batter. "Look at that," she said. "You didn't even need my help."  
  
"I hope it's okay," said Emma.  
  
"Did you follow all the directions?" Hermione asked, and she glanced down at the book.  
  
"Of course!" Emma said, almost insulted that Hermione would imply that she did not follow directions.  
  
"Then there shouldn't be a problem," said Hermione. "I'm sure your cake will be lovely, and I'm sure Charlotte will love it. It IS chocolate, isn't it?"  
  
"Of course," Emma said again, this time with a tone that implied she knew her little sister very well, and would never make her any cake that wasn't chocolate.  
  
"Good. Then Charlotte AND your dad will be very pleased," said Hermione with a laugh.  
  
* * *  
  
As expected, the Potters were the first people to get to the party. By the time they arrived, Hermione and Ron had managed to get the house tidied up, get the children tidied up and set up a few things in the backyard. They had been blessed with a beautiful summer's day, and so it was quite convenient to hold the birthday party in the backyard.  
  
"Good thing too," said Ron after they had finished putting up the decorations. "I don't think our family fits in our house anymore!" Hermione had agreed with a nod.  
  
Now they could see that they had been quite right to set up in the yard. With the many Weasleys arriving, as well as various family friends, it was turning out to be quite the birthday party. When Hermione thanked Neville and Luna for coming, they had said, "Well, Charlotte certainly won't turn five everyday, will she?" Hermione had agreed, and then greeted their children: almost nine-year-old Frank, five-year-old Oliver and four-year- old Henry.  
  
The Weasley family was there in full swing. Percy and Penelope, who would celebrate twenty years of marriage in just a few short months, came with their boys. Nineteen-year-old Phillip took the opportunity of the large gathering to introduce his new girlfriend, Kim, to the family. Percy had graduated from Hogwarts just a year before, and he was now working in the Magical Law Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic. Ron had commented, when he heard of his nephew's new occupation, that it was about time someone from Percy's lineage got into the law, as they all followed rules so strictly.  
  
Charlie and Dawn's eleven-year-old, Milo, tagged onto his older cousins so that he could gain information for his upcoming first year at Hogwarts. They gladly brought him into the group as they played various games in the yard, including tag and hide-and-go-seek, and later Hermione noted with surprise that even Phillip and Kim joined in the fun. "She must be a good influence on him," said Ginny. "Takes a lot to get Phil to loosen up."  
  
Charlotte was the life of the party that day, knowing that everyone was there to celebrate her birthday. She relished in opening her birthday gifts, which included a lot of books, as most people knew how much she liked to read, and lot of logic puzzles, her other favorite thing. She ate way too much cake and ended up falling asleep before she could even change into her pajamas.  
  
"Leave her," said Ron as he and Hermione stood watching her. After the guests had left, they had ushered their youngest up the stairs, and she had willingly sat on her bed. As they had spoken to her about her day and Hermione took out her pajamas, Charlotte's eyes dropped closed and she was sound asleep. "It won't kill her to sleep in a party dress."  
  
"It might kill the dress though," Hermione said reluctantly.  
  
"Does it matter?" he asked. "She'll outgrow it soon enough anyway."  
  
Hermione sighed. "They do get big so fast, don't they?"  
  
"Well, you know what the solution to that is, don't you?" Ron asked as he put his arm around her.  
  
"What's that?" said Hermione.  
  
"We'll just have to keep having more," he said, knowing he could get Hermione to laugh by saying it.  
  
Hermione did just that and punched him playfully in the arm. "That's not funny."  
  
"You're laughing," he said.  
  
"As much as I love them when they're babies," said Hermione, "there is plenty of stuff to love about them now that they're older."  
  
Ron nodded his agreement, and then took Hermione's hand. "Come on, love, let's go enjoy the quiet downstairs before we go to bed."  
  
Hermione smiled and sighed happily. "Sounds good to me." She walked over to Charlotte's bed and made sure the covers were wrapped around her. She kissed her daughter's forehead. "Happy birthday, Charlotte." With that, Hermione and Ron turned out the light and headed to the living room to enjoy the rest of the summer's eve. 


	15. An Adventure at Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, so brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Note: Apologies again on the length between updates.... As much as I would love to lose myself in the world of Harry Potter fan fiction, real life just takes over sometimes. I'm not crazy about this chapter... I don't think I can write adventure very well.  
  
Chapter Fifteen: An Adventure at Hogwarts  
  
Just as the quickly as the summer months died away, so did the first term at Hogwarts. Soon Emma, now a third year and James, a fifth, found themselves home from school and back at the Burrow for another Weasley Christmas celebration. Double excitement was in the air, as the New Year would bring the eleventh birthdays of Lily and Olivia, and they were eagerly anticipating the arrival of their own Hogwarts letters so they could join their big brother and sister, respectively, at the school.  
  
Though Emma dreaded the thought that her little sister would soon invade the small private school world she had created for herself, she knew she still had many months until it happened. She intended to make every moment count during the last couple of months of the school year, and she enlisted James' help. "We have to have an adventure," she told him one day before term ended. She had seated him, Aidan, Cornelia and a group of her cousins down in the common room. "We can't just sit around. We've all heard tons of stories of our mums and dads here, and they were always doing something really cool."  
  
"That's true," Stacey said, from the middle of a couch. "But what can we do? Nothing very adventurous really happens around here."  
  
It had puzzled Emma as well. It was true. It DID seem as though everything exciting had happened when her parents were at Hogwarts. She decided to make it her mission – aside from getting top grades – to find SOMETHING that could turn itself into an adventure. She didn't realize it would fall so easily into her hands.  
  
* * *  
  
Emma had been "adventure-hunting" for two weeks when Christmas break came along, and she was a little frustrated that she had found nothing remotely interesting. She decided to have fun on Christmas though, and not worry about it, though she knew in the back of her mind that the quest was far from over.  
  
After a wonderful Christmas feast, the adults of the Weasley family stayed at the dinner table, talking and laughing, while the children did the same in the next room. Emma, James, and Stacey were heading back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, taking various sweets to the other children, when they overheard their parents in deep conversation.  
  
"The kids'll be really excited, when they find out," said Harry, in an explanatory voice. "McGonagall's been working on this for quite a while now."  
  
"And they have no idea?" Hermione asked. "At all?"  
  
"Not that we know of," said Harry. "Which is good, because we really want to surprise them this year."  
  
"Surprise us?" Stacey asked, though low so none of the adults could hear her. "I wonder what he's talking about."  
  
Emma motioned her cousin to be quiet, and the three continued to listen. However, Harry had obviously said the more interesting parts BEFORE the kids entered the room, and they never got to find out what the secret at Hogwarts was going to be.  
  
"What could it be?" Stacey asked as they gathered out of the room and could speak in normal tones.  
  
"Maybe it's the Tri-Wizard Tournament!" James exclaimed, excited. "When my dad was a fourth year, everyone was being really secretive about something happening at Hogwarts, and that's what it was."  
  
Emma shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. "They would need the whole school year for that." She looked at her cousins with a serious face. "I think we have an adventure."  
  
* * *  
  
The wait to return to Hogwarts seemed agonizing. In the meantime, James had been commissioned to see if Harry had any information lying around the house, but each time he looked, his hands came up empty. Finally, they headed back to school.  
  
Emma wasted no time. She informed Cornelia of their plan the moment she saw her on the Hogwarts Express. "How are we going to get information?" she asked.  
  
"James will help," said Emma, "cause he has all this cool old stuff that his dad gave him. I think if we can just get into Uncle Harry's office we should be able to find some information."  
  
"I don't know, Em," said Cornelia. "That sounds pretty risky."  
  
"That's the point," Emma responded. "Are you with us?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," said Cornelia, but she seemed reluctant. Still, she was not going to miss out on the fun that all her friends were about to have. "When does this start?"  
  
"Tomorrow night," said Emma. "All the teachers will be around tonight, since it's the opening feast. Tomorrow we can wander."  
  
"And what about Filch?" Cornelia asked.  
  
"You know his hearing's getting really bad," said Emma. "If we're quiet, he probably won't hear us at all." She looked at the group until they nodded. "So, tomorrow then?"  
  
"Tomorrow," said Stacey, and the rest of the group agreed.  
  
* * *  
  
The next day seemed to drag on forever. With classes starting, the children had plenty to do, but nothing they wanted to do. Finally, they were all situated in the common room, waiting for the last of the straggling members of Gryffindor to head upstairs to bed. It seemed that everyone wanted to stay up late though, and it was well past midnight when the group finally sat around the table looking at James' Maurader's Map.  
  
"Okay, Filch is near the entrance," said James, pointing to the small dot. "And it doesn't seem as though anyone else is around."  
  
"Then it's perfect," said Emma. "Your dad's office is nowhere near the entrance hall."  
  
James now looked skeptical. "Are you sure we have to start in my dad's office?" he asked.  
  
Emma nodded seriously. "He seems to be the one with the plans," said Emma, "even though he mentioned McGonagall, I think your dad knows much more than we heard."  
  
"I think she's right," said Stacey from her place on the couch. "Plus we know your dad's never here at night."  
  
"Not this late," Emma added.  
  
James seemed to brighten up. "Okay," he said. "But if we get caught in there, I'm telling him it was all YOUR idea."  
  
"Fine," said Emma calmly, and she took one quick glance around at James, Aidan, Stacey, Cornelia and some of her other cousins. "Which ones of us are going to go?"  
  
"I thought we were all going," Aidan said.  
  
"Too many people," James said simply, to which Emma nodded in agreement.  
  
"Then how is this an adventure?" Aidan asked. "If aren't all going to have it?" James and Emma had to admit that he had a point.  
  
"I suppose there could be a way for everyone to be involved somehow," Emma said, thinking. "We COULD use some lookouts. You never know."  
  
"Maybe we can have a chain of people," said Stacey, "to warn the ones that are near the office if anyone is coming."  
  
"Good idea," said James. "You have those Reversible Extendable Ears your dad gave you right?" Stacey nodded, and excused herself to run up to the dorms. Fred and George had long before created Extendable Ears with a reverse effect, so that the person using them could talk to someone else a great distance away. They had modeled them after seeing a group of muggle children playing "fort" and using cups and strings to talk to each other.  
  
Stacey returned moments later and handed the device to James. "Okay, who's going to actually go into the office?" he now asked the group. Emma raised her hand.  
  
"I am!" she exclaimed eagerly. "This whole thing was my idea!"  
  
"I will too," said James. "It is MY dad's office, after all."  
  
In the end, it was decided that James, Emma, Aidan and Cornelia would be the ones to head into Harry's office. James knew the office the best, and the whole idea HAD been Emma's in the first place, and Aidan and Cornelia were their right hands, respectively. Stacey knew how to work the Reversible Extendable Ears (which they referred to now as REE's) the best, so she would be the head of what they were now calling the command post. She would stand at the end of the hallway leading to the Gryffindor portrait hole. The rest of the group would be placed somewhere along the line, each with their own REE's.  
  
"Let's go," said James when everyone was ready, and they headed for the portrait hole and made their way down the hall.  
  
"We're not all going to fit under the invisibility cloak," James said to Emma, Aidan and Cornelia, "so we're going to have to be extra careful not to get caught."  
  
"You have that map?" Aidan asked his friend. James pulled it from his pocket and showed it to the group. They surveyed it.  
  
"Filch is occupied elsewhere," Cornelia said, pointing to the moving Filch dot, which seemed to be near the entrance to the kitchens.  
  
"Then now's our chance," said Emma, and the four made their way down the hall and through the school on their way to Harry's office.  
  
* * *  
  
When they were standing outside of Harry's office, James began to have second thoughts. "I don't know about this," he said to the others. "I mean, this is my dad's office."  
  
"Think about it," Emma said. "He used to have adventures here all the time. He'd probably be PROUD of you for this."  
  
"Just the same," James said, "YOU open the door."  
  
Emma shrugged and pointed her wand at the keyhole on Harry's office door. "Alohamora!" she called out sharply, and they heard the lock click open. The four children poked their heads in, as an extra precaution, before heading into the room.  
  
"Light your wands," said Emma. "It's better if the lights stay off." The four recited the charm quickly, igniting the ends of their wands, and then headed inside.  
  
They had been in this office many times before, invited in by Harry for snacks or just to have a chat, so they knew the layout well. They barely glanced at the pictures Harry kept on his desk of his family, nor at the Quidditch posters he had hanging on the walls. They also avoided looking at the various creatures Harry kept in the office as part of his Dark Arts curriculum. They moved around the room until Cornelia voiced the one thing they had all started to wonder.  
  
"What exactly are we looking for?"  
  
Emma, James and Aidan stopped what they were doing and thought. "A piece of parchment, maybe," said Emma. "A plan of some kind?"  
  
"You don't think it's one of these, do you?" Aidan asked, peering into a tank.  
  
"No," said James, "I don't see anything new in here, as far as Dark Arts stuff. It must not be related to it."  
  
"Either that, or it's too big to fit in this office," Cornelia said, to which the other four stopped.  
  
"Do you think it could be some big creature?" Emma asked.  
  
"I don't know," said Harry. "Hagrid takes care of the creatures, mostly. I don't think that's it."  
  
"But Cornelia has a point," said Emma. "What if whatever we're looking for is too big to fit in here?"  
  
"I still think there must be something in writing," said James.  
  
"Look on the desk then," said Aidan, which they had yet to do. James moved towards his father's desk and began rummaging through the small piles of paper that were there.  
  
"These are all essays," he said, with a frown.  
  
"What about the drawers?" Emma said, as she was opening one. She had planned to sift through the papers in there, but something on the top caught her eye. A simple piece of parchment that said, "Delivery January 8th."  
  
"Look at this!" she exclaimed. "Something's being delivered here tomorrow."  
  
The other three came over and looked at the paper as well, which Emma now turned over in her hands, looking for more writing, but there were only the few short words.  
  
"That's my dad's handwriting though," James confirmed.  
  
"It's a clue, isn't it?" Cornelia asked.  
  
"Of course," said Emma, and she pocketed the piece of parchment.  
  
"What are you doing?" Aidan asked.  
  
"We need this with us," said Emma.  
  
"But we can't take anything," said Aidan. "Then someone will know we were in here."  
  
"You're right," said Emma, feeling sheepish that she had almost forgotten a very important detail of their adventure.  
  
"Put it back," said Cornelia. "Surely we can remember what it says."  
  
Emma nodded and opened the drawer. As she was placing the piece of parchment back inside, the room was suddenly bathed in light. The four children jumped, and looked up. In the doorway was Harry.  
  
"Dad!" James exclaimed suddenly, not sure how to read the expression on his father's face. "We were just......." But words escaped the young man, and he could not think of a viable reason for being in his father's office after midnight.  
  
"What's that you have, Emma?" Harry asked, and Emma blushed and handed the paper to her uncle. Harry opened it up and read it, and then smiled at the children standing in front of him. Though his smile was not menacing at all, it seemed to invoke more fear in the children than had he frowned at them.  
  
"Uncle Harry?" Emma asked tentatively. "Is something...... funny?"  
  
Harry continued to smile as he now looked up from the parchment. "Not funny," he said. "Just slightly amusing."  
  
"What is?" James asked, a little annoyed now. "What are you doing here anyway?"  
  
"I suppose I should ask you that," he said to the children, though again they could not detect anger in his voice. "Would one of you care to offer an explanation?"  
  
"Well," Emma began, "it's my fault, really. I said to everyone that we needed to have an adventure, and then we heard you talking to mum and dad on Christmas about something happening at Hogwarts, and we just got really curious. I thought it would be a perfect adventure, to try and figure out what was going to happen. I'm sorry, Uncle Harry."  
  
"Have a seat," he said to the children, and he conjured chairs for all of them, and then took a seat at his own desk, placing the sheet of parchment on the desk. "I see that I've finally rubbed off on all of you. Out of bed at late hours, storming the halls when you shouldn't be. To say I'm disappointed in you would make me a hypocrite."  
  
"So you're not mad?" Emma asked, surprised.  
  
"Mad?" Harry asked. "No."  
  
"So will you tell us what's going to happen?" James asked, feeling suddenly much better.  
  
Harry now smiled again, and gestured for the four children to lean in so he could tell them secretly. "No," he said simply.  
  
"WHAT?!" all four children exclaimed involuntarily, and they sat back.  
  
"Why not?" came Aidan's voice.  
  
Harry laughed a little. "Despite the fact that, when I was your age, I relished in trying to find out information I didn't need to have, and that I was always roaming the halls at night, I can't let this incident go unpunished."  
  
"Dad!" James exclaimed. "You said you weren't mad!"  
  
"I know I did," said Harry, for he was in fact the furthest thing from mad. In fact, inside he felt a little glimmer of pride. "And I'm not mad. However, I'm an adult now, and a teacher here, and as such I have certain responsibilities."  
  
"Just don't tell anyone we were here," James suggested hopefully.  
  
"I can't do that," said Harry. "However, I am not going to give you a detention. I am not going to take away any House points. I am simply going to make you wait until tomorrow night."  
  
"What's tomorrow night?" Emma asked.  
  
"Tomorrow night at dinner, the entire school will find out the secret you want to know," said Harry. "I think a fitting punishment for you all is to have to wait, just like everybody else."  
  
"Dad!" James exclaimed again.  
  
"James, it could be worse," said Emma. "He could tell your mum, or my mum what we did."  
  
"You won't, will you?" James asked, imagining the Howler that he might get in the morning.  
  
Harry smiled and nodded his head. "Your secret is safe with me. And," he said, putting the parchment back into his desk, "so is mine." He stood. "All right, off to bed with you. I'll walk you there, in case Filch is lurking about."  
  
The children stood and began to walk down the hall with Harry, headed back to Gryffindor tower. James walked beside his father. "You really can't tell me?" he asked. Harry simply shook his head.  
  
"What are you doing here tonight anyway?" James now asked.  
  
"Just some last minute preparation that I needed to do for tomorrow," Harry said, and they had reached Gryffindor Tower. The children scrambled in, and Harry headed home.  
  
* * *  
  
The children woke the next morning tired and disappointed that their adventure had not gone the way they planned. "Just be glad we're not in detention," said Cornelia, as they sat at breakfast.  
  
"Uncle Harry would never put us in detention," said Emma.  
  
"Even so," said Cornelia. "If that had been Filch, we'd surely be expelled."  
  
"Just be glad it wasn't Filch that caught us then," was Emma's reply. She looked over at the staff table. "Ugh! I wish they would tell us what the big surprise is all ready! I can't believe we have to wait for dinner!"  
  
Though once again the day seemed to drag slowly by, at some point it did manage to come to an end. At the end of the day, Emma, Cornelia, Aidan and James found themselves seated at dinner, awaiting the announcement. It came before dinner began.  
  
"Pardon me, students," said Professor McGonagall, standing up and addressing the crowd. "I know we don't generally interrupt your meal with announcements, but tonight we have something very special to tell all of you." The students in the Great Hall turned their heads, interested, to the Headmistress.  
  
Professor McGonagall smiled at them. "As you all know, Hogwarts supports Quidditch very much, and is incredibly proud of their players, who all show such wonderful promise. As a sort of thank you to all of you, and to encourage flying among our other students, we would like to announce that Hogwarts had bought a new school set of broomsticks."  
  
"THAT'S the announcement?" Emma asked, looked disappointed. "New broomsticks?"  
  
"Not just any broomstick, mind you," continued Professor McGonagall. "We have spared no expense, and have managed to get a new set of Firebolt 500's!" The students in the Great Hall cheered, knowing that the new broomsticks would be one hundred times better than the battered and beaten ones the school had been holding onto for years.  
  
Professor McGonagall continued. "In that same vein, I would also like to say that we are also getting a brand new Quidditch field AND equipment!" The students cheered again. Professor McGonagall waited until the cheering died down, and then invited everyone to eat the food that appeared on the tables.  
  
"That's what we were trying to find out?" Cornelia now asked.  
  
"I think it's great!" said James, still an avid Quidditch player.  
  
"Yeah!" Aidan agreed.  
  
"It's NICE," said Emma, "but it's not what I thought." She had never tried out for the Gryffindor team, despite the fact that she liked to play the game. "I mean, it IS good that we'll have the new broomsticks and the new field."  
  
Despite the fact that the announcement was less than what they had expected and hoped for, the children were pleased that they had finally had an adventure at Hogwarts. They spent the rest of the evening listening to James and Aidan discuss Quidditch strategies, and how the new brooms would be a major asset to their team. 


	16. Summer Interlude

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, so brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: I have decided to post an extended/updated version of "The Last Two Years" on checkmated.com, for those interested. I am fixing the stories and extending some of the chapters. At some point, I will also post "Hogwarts Reunion" and "The Weasley Kids!" I, of course, will continue "The Weasley Kids" here as well! (By the way, my author name there is "Kelerr.")  
  
Chapter Sixteen: Summer Interlude  
  
Ron and Hermione awoke to the sound of silence. "The beauty of summer vacation," said Hermione, "is that the kids sleep in as well." She laughed softly, causing Ron to laugh as well.  
  
"Perhaps we should do the same," said Ron with a long yawn and he stretched his arms above his head and feigned going back to sleep.  
  
"Oh no, you don't!" Hermione exclaimed, and she reached over and tickled him on the side, where she knew he was extremely sensitive. Ron made a noble effort at pretending to sleep, but soon a small smile crept across his face. He opened his eyes and looked at his wife. She smiled at him and kissed him. "Come on," she said softly. "Let's go have a nice quiet breakfast before they wake up."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Ron said simply.  
  
Hermione looked at him with a concerned expression. "Are you feeling all right?" She placed a hand on his forehead to ascertain if he had a fever.  
  
Ron laughed at her. "I'm fine, Hermione," he said. "I just thought think there are much better things to do this morning. We can have breakfast later." With that, he leaned over and kissed her, with as much passion as he had when they had first gotten together so many years before.  
  
"You're right," Hermione said breathlessly when he pulled away from her. "We can eat anytime." After casting a quick silencing charm around the room, she turned her attention back to her husband.  
  
* * *  
  
When the couple finally forced themselves out of bed and downstairs, they found the house suddenly a buzz with excitement. Emma and Olivia were in the kitchen, and they had prepared breakfast for Jack and Charlotte, as well as Ron and Hermione. "What a lovely surprise," Hermione said when she came in the room, and she kissed each of her daughters on the forehead.  
  
"We thought we'd let you sleep," Emma, now fourteen, said to them.  
  
"Very thoughtful," said Ron.  
  
"And we made you breakfast," said Olivia eagerly, showing them the plates.  
  
"Thank you," said Hermione, and she sat down in the chair Olivia was holding out for her.  
  
"Are you going to join us?" Ron asked the girls as he took his own seat. They shook their heads.  
  
"We ate already," Emma explained. "So did Jack and Charlotte. They're out in the yard already." A quick glance out the kitchen window showed Jack and Charlotte in their usual "zones" of the yard. Charlotte, now nearly six years old, was lying on her stomach in the grass, barefoot, reading a book. Hermione noticed she was still in her pajamas. Eight-year-old Jack was chasing a Snitch around the backyard, though not having much luck with it as he was on foot rather than a broomstick.  
  
"Do we have a little Seeker-in-Training?" Hermione asked Ron as they watched the kids outside.  
  
"Possible," said Ron. "But then again, he's a pretty fair chaser too."  
  
"Can I try out for Quidditch when I go to Hogwarts?" Olivia asked. "I want to play Keeper like you did dad."  
  
Ron smiled proudly at the eleven-year-old. The family expected her acceptance letter any day now. "You can definitely try out," said Ron. "You should ask James if they have any spots open on the team."  
  
"They do," Emma said, joining into the conversation. "They have two I think. The keeper just left – he graduated, and one of the beaters too." She looked down at Olivia. "I'm sure James would put you on the team if you asked him."  
  
"I want to try out though," said Olivia. "I don't want to get on the team just because my cousin is the captain." James, now sixteen and soon to be a sixth year at Hogwarts, had been made the captain of the Quidditch team at the end of the last school year, appointed by the former captain who graduated. Her tone changed. "That is, if I get in."  
  
Hermione cocked her head to one side and was about to reassure Olivia when Emma spoke up. "You'll get in, Livvie," she said. "How could you NOT? You're a WEASLEY."  
  
"And half Granger," Ron added. "They need your brains at the school." Olivia smiled.  
  
"Did Lily get her letter yet?" Emma asked. Olivia shook her head.  
  
"She hasn't told me, if she did," Olivia said.  
  
"Soon, I expect," said Ron.  
  
* * *  
  
After Ron and Hermione had eaten their breakfast, they joined Jack and Charlotte in the backyard. Ron took a seat next to Charlotte in the grass. "What are you reading love?" he asked her.  
  
She squinted up at her father. "Fairy tales," she said. "I don't like this one though."  
  
"What's it about?" Ron asked.  
  
"A girl sleeps on twenty mattresses and she still feels a pea?" Charlotte asked. "That's ridiculous."  
  
"How come?" Ron asked.  
  
"Because I pea is, like, this big." Charlotte took her fingers and held them together to create a very small opening. "And twenty mattresses are bigger than YOU are."  
  
Ron laughed. "I see your point," said Ron. "But isn't it just a story?"  
  
"A silly one," said Charlotte.  
  
"So? Don't you like silly things sometimes?" he asked her.  
  
"I guess so. I just really don't believe that a girl would feel a pea under a mattress."  
  
"So you might say it's like magic?" Ron suggested.  
  
Charlotte's face changed, and a new comprehension dawned. "See that?" said Ron. "A lot of people don't believe in magic, but we know it's real, don't we?"  
  
Charlotte smiled at her father. "You're right, daddy! I suppose maybe she DID feel the pea."  
  
"Maybe," said Ron.  
  
"Can I try it sometime?" she asked. "To see if I'm a princess."  
  
"I suppose," said Ron nonchalantly, "but I don't really see why you need to."  
  
"How come?" Charlotte asked.  
  
Ron leaned in conspiratorially. "See, the thing is, you're already a princess."  
  
Charlotte's eyes widened. "I am?!" she asked in disbelief.  
  
"Well, to me you are, and to your mum. You and Emma and Olivia," he explained. "And Jack's the prince."  
  
"Oh, so not a real one," Charlotte said, but she didn't seem disappointed. She looked around the yard. Emma and Olivia were now outside as well, Emma braiding her sister's hair. "Am I the HEAD princess?"  
  
"Of course," Ron said. Charlotte smiled.  
  
"Good," she said, and without another word she stood, handed Ron her book and went to join her sisters.  
  
"Here comes the post," Hermione said, coming up behind him and shielding her eyes to the sun as she watched the family owl soar towards the house. The bird, however, passed the house and dropped the mail directly into Ron's lap. Hermione sat next to him and pulled the "Daily Prophet" from out of the midst of the letters.  
  
"Anything interesting?" she asked Ron as she started going through the newspaper.  
  
"Not much," said Ron. "Letter from Neville, a bill, Emma's Hogwarts letter..... Wait a minute! Olivia's got one too!"  
  
Hermione turned her head to the pile of mail Ron was looking at and saw the familiar green ink on the envelope addressed to Olivia Weasley. The couple looked at each other before looking towards their daughters. "Olivia!" Hermione called out. "Come and get your mail."  
  
"I got mail?!" Olivia asked, excited and a little breathless after she had run up to her parents.  
  
Ron smiled and held out the letter for her. "From Hogwarts," he said.  
  
Olivia looked suddenly nervous. "Should I open it?" she asked.  
  
"Of course," said Hermione. "Why wouldn't you?"  
  
"I'm afraid," said Olivia.  
  
"Don't be," said Ron. "I know you're in."  
  
Olivia looked at her father and met his eyes. Gaining the courage, she slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. "Dear Miss. Weasley," she read, and she smiled widely as her eyes scanned the next words. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She paused and looked up. "I got in!"  
  
Ron and Hermione smiled at her, though they knew there was no question that their second daughter would get into the school. Though they had been ninety-nine percent certain she would be before, Harry had informed them that she was definitely on the list for the coming year. They had decided not to tell her so that she could experience getting her letter just as Emma had three years prior.  
  
"Emma!" Olivia called out. "Charlotte! Jack!" She looked around the yard for her sisters and brother. "I got my Hogwarts letter! I'm going in September!" The other children joined the small group and celebrated with their sister.  
  
"I'm next!" Jack said proudly.  
  
"What do you say we all go out for dinner tonight," Ron suggested. "To celebrate."  
  
"That sounds lovely," said Hermione. "Anywhere you want, Olivia."  
  
Olivia was excited to have the power to choose the place they would spend the evening, and she spent much of the next two hours trying to decide. She finally chose one of her favorite places in town, and the family headed out that night, happy and ready to celebrate. 


	17. The Little Sister Invasion

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, so brilliantly created by J.K. Rowling. All situations are based on her creations as well.  
  
Chapter Seventeen: The Little Sister Invasion  
  
"Come on! We'll be late!" Olivia called up the stairs to her parents.  
  
"We won't be late love," Hermione called back down. "It's only eight thirty."  
  
"But I don't want to miss the train!" Olivia whined from the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"We won't miss the train," came Emma's voice. "We have lots of time." She came down the stairs and looked at her sister, sitting eagerly on her trunk. "You're just excited."  
  
"I know!" Olivia exclaimed. "But I'm FINALLY going to Hogwarts!"  
  
"Don't remind me," Emma said with a groan, but also a small smile. She had been both dreading and looking forward to her sister's arrival at the school. "But trust me, we're not going to miss the train."  
  
"I hope you're right," said Olivia, with an impatient look at her watch.  
  
"I know I am," said Emma, and she started towards the kitchen. "Come on. Eat something before we go."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Olivia said shaking her head.  
  
Emma shrugged. "Suit yourself. You'll regret it later." She disappeared through the door to the kitchen. Olivia looked back up the stairs and sighed impatiently.  
  
"You won't miss the train you know," said Charlotte, coming from the living room. "It only takes 33 minutes to get to King's Cross from here."  
  
"Thirty-three minutes?" Olivia asked.  
  
"I timed it when we picked Emma up last year," Charlotte explained. Her mind was always working with numbers in some way. Hermione had already given her most of her old arithmancy books to study. She was pretty sure that her youngest child would someday work with ancient runes or something similar.  
  
"And you have," Charlotte said, as she glanced at the clock, "one hundred and forty-seven minutes until the train leaves."  
  
"Thanks," said Olivia, though her sister was not cheering her up. In all honesty, she wasn't as nervous about NOT getting on the train as she was about actually getting on it. She had spent most of her life looking forward to the day that she would start school at Hogwarts, and now that the day had arrived, she was nervous. She wondered just what the school would be like. Sure, she had heard stories from her older cousins and her sister, but she knew that they might be teasing her, or not embellishing on certain aspects.  
  
However, she WAS glad that she wouldn't be starting school alone. Lily would be there, in her first year as well, and they were hoping that they would be in the same house. The chances were high that they would join their respective older siblings in Gryffindor, but there was also the slight chance that they would end up in a different house. It HAD happened in the Weasley family. Phillip and Peter, Percy's children, had both ended up in Ravenclaw, seemingly following their mother's influence.  
  
Ron now came down the stairs, Jack close behind him. "I see you're all ready to go," he said as he surveyed Olivia and her trunks.  
  
"Can we leave yet?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Livvie, it's not nearly time to go. We'll leave at ten o'clock, okay?" Olivia nodded. Just over an hour until they made their way into London.  
  
"How are we going to get there?" Olivia asked. "You're not driving, are you?"  
  
"Your mum's driving," said Ron. Though Hermione had an apparating license, she had also decided long ago to get her muggle driver's license as well. At first Ron thought she was crazy, but as soon as they had children he could see the necessity of it. It wasn't always convenient to set up a portkey, and the children couldn't apparate, and if they were traveling to say, Hermione's parents' house, it made much more sense to show up the muggle way. Just a few years before, Hermione had convinced Ron to get a license as well, but though he had learned and earned it, he had never taken to driving, and the children quickly learned to flee whenever it was announced their father was going to drive them somewhere.  
  
"Good," said Olivia, with a sigh.  
  
"Come eat something," Ron said, mirroring Emma's words. "What would you like?"  
  
"I don't know," said Olivia. "I'm not hungry."  
  
"You're going to eat anyway," said Ron, and he pulled her hand so that she reluctantly stood up and followed her father into the kitchen. Emma was there, just spreading jam on a piece of toast. At the sight of food, Olivia realized that she was, in fact, quite hungry.  
  
"Want some?" Emma asked, gesturing at the second piece of toast on her plate.  
  
Olivia shook her head. "Toast isn't breakfast," she said.  
  
"What were you thinking then?" Ron asked.  
  
"Eggs?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Sure," said Ron, and he headed to the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of eggs, as well as some sausages. "I'll tell you what. I'll make the 'Back to School' special."  
  
"What's that?" Olivia asked.  
  
Ron looked at her and shrugged, a slight smile on his face. "Don't know. We'll find out though, won't we?" Olivia smiled her first genuine smile of the morning.  
  
* * *  
  
Right on schedule, the six Weasleys were in the car on their way to the train station. From their places in the backseats of the car, Emma and Olivia talked excitedly about the things they were going to do that year, while Jack and Charlotte listened with envy.  
  
"Here we are!" Hermione announced cheerfully as she pulled the car to a stop in a parking space. Olivia looked at the train station, which loomed ominously in front of her. Hermione turned to the family sitting behind her, and looked directly at Olivia. "You ready?" she asked.  
  
Olivia nodded slowly. "Sure," she said, but Hermione was not convinced. Hermione turned to Ron. "Why don't you take the girls' things onto the platform and Olivia and I will meet you there?" Ron nodded, turned and winked at Olivia and then gathered the other children to head towards the station.  
  
"What are you so afraid of?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't know," said Olivia. "Nothing in particular."  
  
"Just the new situation?" Olivia nodded her answer. Hermione smiled and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, love. Everything will be fine. And you won't be alone. You'll have your sister, and James and Lily."  
  
Olivia's spirit lifted again as she remembered she would be riding to Hogwarts with her cousins. "I guess that's better," she said.  
  
"You sure?" said Hermione. "I understand why you're nervous. I was nervous when I got on the train for the first time, and I didn't have any friends at all!"  
  
Olivia laughed. "But then you met daddy."  
  
"That's right," said Hermione. "Who knows. Maybe you'll meet your future husband on the train today."  
  
"Eew!" Olivia exclaimed. "Mum!"  
  
Hermione laughed. "Sorry," she said. "I guess you're not quite ready for that yet. But are you ready to head into the station?"  
  
Olivia looked over at the building again. "I'm ready," she said, and she and Hermione headed into the station.  
  
* * *  
  
After a short goodbye to their parents, Emma and Olivia boarded the Hogwarts Express, Lily on their heels. James was off with Aidan, trying to impress a compartment full of girls. "Emma! Emma, in here!" called a familiar voice as the three girls walked down the corridor looking for a compartment. Emma looked in and saw Cornelia sitting by the window, at attention, obviously looking for her friend.  
  
"Hi Cornelia!" Emma exclaimed, and the two friends hugged even though they had seen each other just a week before.  
  
"I can't wait to get back!" Cornelia exclaimed. "This year is going to be so much fun!"  
  
"I don't know," said Emma, taking a seat, and she gestured to her sister and cousin. "Look who's here now."  
  
"Hey!" Olivia exclaimed, taking mock offense to her sister's comment.  
  
"Emma, we'll hardly see them," Cornelia said.  
  
"That's true," said Emma.  
  
"You'll see us," Lily said, looking over at her cousin and Cornelia. "We're going to be VERY noticeable, trust me."  
  
Emma eyes the younger girls suspiciously. "What do you mean?" she asked them, but they both shrugged as though even they didn't know what they were talking about. They changed the subject and continued to say hello to the various familiar faces that passed them as they continued on their journey towards Hogwarts.  
  
James and Aidan joined them halfway through the trip. "How'd it go?" Cornelia asked.  
  
"Not so good," said James.  
  
"So no dates yet?" Cornelia asked. Aidan shook his head and sank down in a seat next to Cornelia. Emma noticed the way her friend immediately blushed.  
  
"I though you were Mr. Popular," came Lily's voice from her place in the compartment.  
  
"What would YOU know about it?" James asked his sister.  
  
"Nothing," said Lily, "except that you told me how get lots of dates."  
  
"Well maybe I exaggerated a little," James said. "And how would you know anyway?! This was one girl, one time."  
  
Lily looked over at Emma and asked her a question with her eyes. Emma laughed and answered her. "It happens a lot," she said, and Lily and Olivia giggled.  
  
James rolled his eyes and groaned. "Oh, I can see it's going to be a whole lot of fun having YOU around this year."  
  
* * *  
  
The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade just on schedule, and the kids got off. Lily and Olivia headed towards the sound of Hagrid's voice and made their way into the boats for their trip around the lake. They looked in awe at the castle, lit up for the evening. Though both girls had been to Hogwarts many times before, they had never seen it at night, and they were mesmerized by the lights coming from the numerous windows.  
  
They were met by Harry in the entrance hall, and Lily gave her father a short wave. He smiled at her, but did not single her out from the crowd, and then he led the first years into the Great Hall. Olivia looked around as they made their way down the aisle between the tables and caught her sister's eye. Emma smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. All too soon, it seemed, they were standing at the front of the hall, watching people have the sorting hats place on their head.  
  
Olivia waited impatiently. The one downside to being a Weasley was that you were nearly at the end of every alphabetical list, and so it was that she waited and watched the others. "Lillian Potter!" called Harry's voice, and Lily looked at her friend nervously. Olivia gave her cousin's hand a squeeze and then Lily headed to the stage.  
  
Harry smiled at her before placing the hat on her head, and she felt reassured by her father's presence. The hat landed on her head with a soft thump, and then fell over her eyes. It only took a moment for it to shout, "GRYFFINDOR!" Lily smiled and joined the cheering Gryffindors, taking a seat next to Emma.  
  
Now it was just a matter of time until Olivia had her turn. She was thrilled for her cousin, but was struck with the sudden fear that she would be the odd man out, the one in her family that did not get placed in Gryffindor. She barely heard Harry call out her name, and she wasn't sure how she managed to make her way to the stage, but the hat was on her head and yelling, "GRYFFINDOR!" before she knew what was happening. She felt herself relax and she made her way to the table to join her friends and family.  
  
"Told you so," Emma said as Olivia took her seat.  
  
* * *  
  
That night in the common room, Lily and Olivia sat by the fire, in the chairs that Emma, Cornelia, Aidan and James usually occupied. They were laughing together, enjoying their first night in the new place before they had to head upstairs to bed. From the couch, Emma, James, Aidan and Cornelia watched them. "We're being replaced," James said.  
  
"No we're not," said Emma.  
  
"Face it," said James. "Things are going to be different with those two here. Hogwarts isn't just our place anymore. We've been invaded by little sisters." 


	18. More Than Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, created so brilliantly by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: My apologies on the length of time between updates. As I announced before, I am doing rewrites of "The Last Two Years" and posting them at checkmated.com. If you are interested, I have written quite a few new chapters and scenes, and you can check them out there.  
  
Chapter Eighteen: More Than Friends  
  
School was in full swing. In March, Cornelia planned a surprise party for Emma's fifteenth birthday. Much to her chagrin, Olivia and Lily were the ones who offered to help. After their numerous suggestions to jinx various party favors, Cornelia rushed them out of the classroom they were talking in, declaring that she would get the party together on her own. She had quickly seen that James and Aidan, too busy chasing various girls around the school, were going to be no help. It was up to her.  
  
March 1st came, and with it came cold, rainy weather. "This is just perfect!" Emma exclaimed with a groan when she woke up the morning of her birthday.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it," Cornelia assured her. "Maybe it'll clear up."  
  
However, as they sat in their classes, the weather turned from bad to worse. By the time dinner rolled around, the ceiling in the Great Hall was so dark from cloud cover that extra candles had to be put in the room. "Today's been a fabulous day," Emma said with sarcasm as she helped herself to some food.  
  
"It could still pick up!" Olivia announced brightly, to which Cornelia stamped on her foot to make her be quiet. Emma raised her eyebrows at her friend, but said nothing to her. After dinner, she headed to the library to go over some notes she needed to write a potions essay. James was commissioned to accompany her, to make sure she didn't find her way upstairs too soon.  
  
"Have you noticed something strange about Cornelia and Aidan?" Emma asked James as she closed one book and reached for another. She was referring to the many times over the year that she had seen them interact with each other. Though she had witnessed it for nearly four years, she saw a change. Their body language was different, and Cornelia seemed to giggle a lot whenever she was in his presence.  
  
"What do you mean?" James asked nonchalantly as he doodled on a piece of parchment.  
  
"If I didn't know better," said Emma, thinking about the behavior, "I'd say they've been flirting with each other since September."  
  
"Really?" James asked, suddenly interested in the conversation. "What makes you say so?" Emma recounted the things she had seen to him. "Aidan's never mentioned liking her."  
  
"Does he tell you about everyone he likes?" Emma asked.  
  
James nodded. "Usually."  
  
"Uh-oh," Emma said, and she looked at her cousin with a serious expression. "I think we have a problem."  
  
"What problem?" James asked. "I don't see any problem."  
  
"James, Aidan probably REALLY likes her. A LOT. So much that he can't even tell his best friend about it," Emma explained.  
  
"Or maybe," James added, "he doesn't even KNOW he likes her."  
  
Emma thought about this for a moment. "That's possible," she said. "You know all the stories about how my mum and dad got together."  
  
"Does Cornelia like him?" James asked suddenly.  
  
"She doesn't say," said Emma. "She's shy about that kind of thing though. She always blushes whenever I mention any boys."  
  
James looked at her sternly. "And what boys do YOU mention?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, James, grow up," said Emma in exasperation. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I talk about boys all the time. A whole bunch of them."  
  
"I do NOT need to hear that from you," James said, and to prove his point, he covered his ears. The gesture made Emma laugh.  
  
"All right," she said. "I'm getting bored. I'm not going to spend my whole birthday evening in this library. Let's go upstairs." She packed her books and James followed her out of the library and up to the common room.  
  
* * *  
  
"SURPRISE!" the whole of Gryffindor shouted when they saw Emma enter the room. She jumped back and started smiling. Cornelia ran over to her and hugged her.  
  
"Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Thanks!" said Emma.  
  
"Oh, you KNEW, didn't you?" Cornelia asked, only slightly disappointed.  
  
"I had a feeling," Emma admitted. This did not deter Cornelia's good mood and she pulled Emma into the room."  
  
"I have to tell you something," she said conspiratorially.  
  
"What?" Emma asked.  
  
"I don't want to say it here," Cornelia whispered. "I only want you to know about it."  
  
"Let's go upstairs then," said Emma. "Just let me get something to drink first." She got to bottles of butterbeer from the table and then followed Cornelia up the staircase to their dormitory. "What's going on?" she asked as she sat down on her bed. Cornelia took a seat next to her.  
  
"Aidan kissed me," she said. Emma, who had just taken a sip of butterbeer, choked momentarily, but managed to regain her composure.  
  
"What?" she asked. "How did this happen?"  
  
"We were setting up for the party," Cornelia began....  
  
* * *  
  
"Aidan, can you please help me with this?" Cornelia asked as she held up a length of streamers, trying to decide where to put them. She was standing on a chair, so when Aidan stood she was actually taller than he was.  
  
"Why don't you just levitate them where you want them?" he asked as he looked up at the ceiling with her.  
  
"I suppose," said Cornelia, and she moved to step down off of the chair. However, her foot caught and she stumbled. Before she could hit the ground, she found herself in Aidan's arms. She looked up into his face. "Thanks," she said, and she suddenly found herself feeling awkward.  
  
"You have to be more careful," Aidan said, though his voice was soft as he looked at her, and his cheeks were tinged a slight pink color. They looked at each other for a moment, ignoring the fact that there were small clusters of students in the room. Aidan moved his head lower, and Cornelia moved hers as well until there was contact.  
  
The first kiss was brief. When it was over, Cornelia was able to stand straight again, and when she and Aidan looked at each other they didn't speak, but their mouths met again, this time more intense. When they broke away, they were both a little out of breath. "That was.... Wow," said Aidan.  
  
"Yeah," was all Cornelia could muster.  
  
* * *  
  
"So what happened next?" Emma asked.  
  
"We talked for a few minutes," said Cornelia, "and Aidan said that he's liked me for a while now, maybe even since last year. And I told him that I liked him, and so then, he asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade the next time there's a weekend! But he also asked if I wouldn't mind spending more time with him before then as well."  
  
"And you said yes, of course," Emma said, hoping that her friend didn't shy away from him and tell him she couldn't. She breathed a sigh of relief when Cornelia nodded her head. "What was it like?" Emma asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The kiss," Emma clarified.  
  
"Oh," said Cornelia, and her eyes took on a dreamy quality. "It was.... Oh, I can't describe it.... But it was wonderful, and weird, and scary all at the same time." Emma sighed.  
  
"I wouldn't know," she said. She looked at her friend. "So, then you and Aidan are a couple then?"  
  
"Looks like it," Cornelia said happily. Emma sighed again. Cornelia took her hand. "You'll have it too," she assured her friend. "Just wait."  
  
"I know," said Emma, and she smiled. "But right now, I want to go back to my birthday party." She stood and she and Cornelia headed back downstairs to join the fun. 


End file.
